How Far Would You Go For Your Country?
by fiona1987
Summary: Embarking on an undercover SOE mission to France, Lily stops off home in Aldbourne to say goodbye to her family. There she meets an Easy soldier with whom she has a brief fling, both heading their separate ways. Will they meet again randomly somewhere?
1. Chapter 1

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 1

_**Norfolk, England. June 28**__**th**__**, 1944**_

"Links! Links! Links" The German pilot screamed angrily through the headphones.

Lily quickly scribbled "Left! Left! Left!" onto her pad before he had a chance to bark out any more words. Silence. She placed her pen firmly between her fingers and used her hands to press the headphones into her ear, fearful of missing a single word. A hand on her shoulder made her jump in her chair. Removing the headphones, she turned round.

"Shift swap," Rose Parks, a tall, bespectacled girl with a sheepish grin smiled at her, then furrowed her brow in concern. "God, are you alright?"

"Sorry, yes," Lily reassured her, standing up and handing her the earphones. "I just got too into it there."

"All in a day's work," Rose chuckled, sitting down in the vacated chair. "Go on, then. Go get some sleep. You'll be back here before you know it."

Knowing this was true, Lily made her way up the several flights of stairs that led to the outside. Opening the door, she was immediately caught up in a gust of wind. She didn't mind. Quite the opposite actually. Six hours cooped up in that basement room had left her gasping for fresh air as it always did. Hearing the sound of planes overhead, she looked up at them. _If only_, she thought longingly. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the wall and reached into her pocket, pulling out a near-empty pack of cigarettes. She lit one and closed her eyes as she blissfully inhaled.

"Sergeant Stone?" A voice asked, startling her.

She opened her eyes, looking into the face of a girl no more than nineteen years old. Lily couldn't place her face. A new recruit, likely. "Yes."

"You're wanted at HQ," The girl told her. "There's a man."

"A man?" She repeated, confused. "What man?"

"I don't know just…a man," The girl said, sounding stressed. "He came in this morning and is talking to a few girls. Your name was next on the list."

"Okay," Lily said, continuing to smoke.

The girl lingered, balancing nervously on the balls of her feet and indicating to the cigarette. "It's um…it's urgent."

"Fine," she sighed, stubbing it out on the wall and putting it back in the pack. Certain things were hard to come by during the war as and when you needed them.

Lily let the girl lead her over to HQ and up the winding steps to an office she'd never been into before. Three or four girls sat outside on chairs.

"He said just to send you right on in," she told Lily, knocking on the door.

"Come in," A voice boomed from inside.

She opened the door, utterly confused by all of this. A balding man in military uniform bearing Captain insignia sat behind the desk, not looking up at her but, instead, his eyes pored over a file placed on the desk in front of him.

"I…I was sent for," She said, nervously.

"He finally looked up at her, indicating for her to take a seat. "Ah, yes. Please have a seat. My name is Captain Walters and I'm with the Special Operations Executive."

She sat down. She'd never heard of the Unit he claimed to be from. She wouldn't dare ask him to explain, however, what with his rank. She presumed he'd reveal all to her in due course.

"Right, well," He said, looking at the file again. "Sergeant Stone with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force?"

"That's correct, Sir" She confirmed.

"And you are a German linguist, yes?" He asked, reading from the file again.

"That's correct, Sir. I listen into and interpret the German Pilots," She informed him, although surely that had to be noted on whatever file he was looking at.

"Yes, I see that," He nodded. "I see here that you also speak French as well."

"Yes,"

"How did you acquire your linguistic skills?" He asked curiously.

"Well Sir, I lived in Germany until I was 16 years old. My father was a diplomat. I grew up with both English and German. As for French, I've had private tutelage since I was 7," She explained.

"Okay. Would you say your fluency is…," He asked, indicating that he wanted an answer.

"Next to perfect," She told him honestly. She wasn't being cocky or blowing her own trumpet…it was just fact.

"Excellent. Obviously this can be tested at a later date but from what I hear there's nothing to worry about," He gave her a small smile. She returned a half one, still too confused to give any other response.

"You've been with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force for three years now," He stated, reading from the file.

"That's right,"

"A difficult Unit to join," He observed.

"Well, everyone was drafted," She reasoned.

"But I see here that you joined up before the draft," He said, cocking his head to one side.

"Well, yes," She nodded. "I suppose I just wanted to help out with the war effort. I couldn't sit home and do nothing."

"That's what we like to hear," He said, shifting in his chair. "And…do you feel that you've made a difference? What I mean is, how do you feel about your position within the WAAF?"

"I'm happy to be helping, Sir," She said, unconvincingly.

"Be honest,"

"Well, if I may be honest, as you say," She began. "I don't really feel like I'm making much difference anymore since there hasn't been as much air activity as there was a few years ago. Really, I've been hoping to be transferred to the Women's Royal Air Force."

"You want to pilot a plane?" He asked, a little condescendingly.

"Well yes," she nodded. "I've been here three years now and they've begun to allow female pilots and…"

"I suppose it's possible," He said, nodding. "There is a very good chance that you'll get to transfer. It would be a lot of hard work though, piloting a plane of your own."

"I'd do it for my country, Sir," She said, really believing it. "My country and the war effort."

"It's interesting that you say that, Sergeant. Can I ask you something?" He asked, leaning forward in his chair to look at her square in the eyes. "How far would you be willing to go for your country?"

"I'm not sure I understand, Sir," She replied.

"Is there a limit to what you'd be willing to do for your country?" He repeated.

She thought for a second. "Well, I suppose not, Sir. I want to be a Pilot, which is a job that comes with a death risk."

"You know that, with your skills, you could prove to be a very useful in the SOE," He said, trying to guage my her reaction.

"My linguistic skills?"

"Yes, those, but also those which you have acquired through this job itself," he explained. "It's a job that requires you to be patient, vigilant, stealthy and thorough. Collectively, those are skills we need."

"Need for what, Sir?" She asked politely.

"Espionage," He said simply.

Her stomach flipped. _Espionage_?

"Yes, Espionage," He repeated, as though reading her thoughts. "What are your reactions to that?"

"I'm a little confused, Sir," she was honest with him. "Are you saying you want me to be a spy?"

"Of sorts," He nodded. "Part of what we do at SOE is install undercover agents into occupied territory. A lot of what we require them to do is radio-based, setting up radio links and the like. But, yes, another part of it is keeping an ear to the ground and supplying us with information."

"I see," She looked at the ground.

"As I'm sure you can imagine, it's a very dangerous and daring mission, but wars are won through such endeavours. Thus, we have a lengthy selection process to find candidates that we think would be best-able to do the job and make a safe return. "

"And you think that I…" She began but stopped, her mind racing.

"We've been watching several people for a while and, yes, you are one of them. Women make ideal candidates- they're less likely to be suspected and have certain _wiles_ that make people talk" He told her matter-of-factly.

Although shocked, she couldn't disguise the instant feeling of pride that swept through her body, her face breaking into a grin.

"But with the death risk, it's not a decision to be taken lightly," He said, noticing this and making her come back to earth.

"I see, " She said, pondering what he was saying. "Is there a specific _mission_ that you had in mind, Sir?"

"We have several positions we're looking to fill at the moment. One that we've considered you for is in France in an area with nearby German occupation. You would need to be passable as a native who could speak German so, if you choose to accept, there would be further testing and training before you would be placed in any such territory," He explained.

Her eyes glowed. Perhaps at the stage she was caught up in the glitz of the idea, but the alarm bells reminding her how dangerous it would be had already starting ringing in her ears like air-raid sirens. She began to pale slightly.

"It's not a decision to be entered into lightly," He said, standing up and indicating for her to do the same. "I would urge that you sleep on it and get back to me in the morning."

"O-Okay Sir," She said, her voice croaking a little.

He walked her over to the door. "Very well. I urge you to _really_ think it over. Confidence in the task is what would really get you through a thing like that so if you don't think you're up to it, let us know sooner rather than later but, what I _will_ say is, you're looking for a chance to help the war effort…here's a definite chance to."

"I understand that, Sir," She nodded, smiling at him.

She went to leave the room but he called her back.

"Sergeant?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"I don't think I need to warn you to keep silent about anything that has been spoken about in this room today," He said, looking at her warningly. "You know the phrase about _Loose Lips_…"

"Yes, Sir," She nodded. "I know that phrase. It's not a problem, Sir."

………………………..

Going back to her dormitory, she knew that she should have been getting some vital sleep before her next shift began in a few hours but, not for lack of trying, she couldn't force her body into a slumber. A million thoughts raced through her head. It was dangerous and potentially suicidal. There was a chance she'd never get to see her beloved family again. Would never get to experience life in peace after the war. Well, that's if the war ever ended. She knew she couldn't stop the war single-handedly, that would be a stupid thought. But if what the Captain said was true, that what the SOE agents on missions were able to supply crucial information then what a help to the effort it would surely be.

She tossed and turned even more as fresh thoughts came into her head. Let's face it, on paper it sounded so exciting and like a real adventure…and the young, care-free, excitement-hungry woman that she was, who'd been holed up in a basement room listening in on and writing down every word of both irate and nervous German Pilots thought it sounded like a real rush.

Eventually she fell into a light sleep and by the time she'd woken up…she had her answer.

……………………..

"Captain?" She asked, poking her head around the same door as before, unsure as to whether he'd even be there again.

Luckily he was. He looked up as he called out her name. "Come in, come in."

She sat down opposite him as before.

"Well…," He asked, wanting an answer.

"I'll do it, Sir," She said, taking a deep breath before she said it.

"Wonderful," He said, taking out a sheet within a folder and seemingly ticking her name off of a list. "There will be training and a briefing in London in a month and…"

"I just have one request," She said, holding up a hand, knowing she was speaking a bit too demandingly to a Captain.

"A request?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to go home first," She said, biting her lip. "If you could perhaps arrange a few weeks of leave for me to go home and see my family. If there's a chance I'll pay for this mission with my life…I'd quite like to see them one last time."

His face didn't soften. He'd clearly had this request several times before. "That won't be a problem."

"Thank you, Sir," She sighed, relieved.

"However," He said, his face hardening ever so slightly. "I have to tell you that you would be followed."

"Followed?" She repeated.

"_Observed_, if you will," He explained. "We'd have to send someone to shadow you, just to ensure that you don't spread the word about what we've talked about. It's not that we don't trust you, but it's early days and it's simply a standard precaution."

"Like a babysitter?" She asked, amused.

"Not exactly. You probably won't even notice they're there," He explained.

"Well that's not a problem, Sir," She said, noticing the time on the big clock behind him and standing up. "I'm afraid I'd better get to work, Sir. My next shift starts in five minutes."

"Well soon you won't have to worry about shifts," He smiled at her as he walked her to the door. "Out of curiosity, Sergeant…where is _home_ for you, exactly?"

"Aldbourne," I told him fondly, quietly clicking the door shut behind me as I left.


	2. Chapter 2 Homecoming

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 2

_**Aldbourne, England. July 11**__**th**__**, 1944**_

Lily sat on the Aldbourne-bound bus, her head pressed to the window, taking in the familiar hills and fields of the outskirts of the town as they rolled by. Imagine never seeing this place again. Without thinking she rung the little bell at the edge of her chair, indicating for the driver to stop. Despite the driver's protests, she got off, slinging her satchel over her shoulder. She decided she could walk the rest of the way. If this was to be her last visit to the place she'd called home all of her life, then she might as well take a moment to commit the sights and smells of the fresh countryside to memory.

Though her heart leapt as she saw the familiar stone cottages not too far into the distance, a part of her began to panic. Was this such a good idea? She feared she'd made a mistake in coming home before setting off. Her joy at seeing her family again might cloud her confidence for what she had to do, and might make her change her mind about going at all. _Who am I kidding? Me?! A spy? _she though. Oh no, it was thoughts like that she had to avoid and try to hard to push to the back of her mind.

As she was trying to force herself to think of happier thoughts, a large rumbling filled the serene surroundings. She turned round to see a large convoy of trucks bearing down the road. Shocked, she stepped from the road that she'd been walking along (on a sleepy Sunday like this, not many cars travelled down the back road) onto the side path. She stood rooted to the spot as they began to roar past her. _Americans_, she noticed their uniforms. They all looked so serious. She'd never seen such a large convoy of Americans before, in Aldbourne of all places. Sure she'd seen them on the air field, but never in such large numbers. Her mother had written to her pre- D-Day, telling her all about the Americans that had been stationed there amongst the families. She wondered why they were back so soon. Still, she waved up to them as they drove past, receiving a few waves back and some blank stares.

After they'd gone, she waited a moment until silence resumed and continued her walk home.

…………………………..

She opened the blue door of her modest family home and walked inside, shutting it quietly behind her. The smell of freshly-baked bread hit her instantly and a thousand fond childhood memories raced back to her all at once. She couldn't believe the number of times as a restless teenager she'd longed to get away from Aldourne and do something of her life. How different things were now. She couldn't have predicted how much she'd miss it when she finally got her chance to go.

Hearing her mother faintly humming an old lullaby, she walked quietly to the kitchen and leant against the door frame, just watching her for a moment. The hairstyle, the apron, the tune, her mother never changed…and Lily loved that about her. Shifting her weight, a loose floorboard let out a load creak, making her mother spin round.

"Hi," Lily smiled meekly at her.

Her Mother didn't say anything, just offered her a _deer caught in the headlights_ look and dropped the plate she had been drying. It crashed to the floor, shattering into a million pieces.

"I'm sorry!" Lily cried, throwing her satchel off and bending down to pick up the pieces. "I didn't mean to alarm you."

"No, don't worry about that. We can get that in a minute!" Her mother gently pulled her back onto her feet and smiled at her. "Just let me look at you for a moment."

Lily smiled as they embraced each other , making up for the all the hugs they'd missed out on when they'd been apart.

"Oh now," Her mother said, embarrassedly wiping at her eyes. "Look at this silliness of mine."

"It's alright," Lily told her. She understood her mother's anguish at having both of her children away from home. It was the same for every mother with a child serving in the military forces.

Her mother looked confused. "Why are you here? You never told us you were coming?"

"I…I had some last-minute leave to take," She lied, knowing she couldn't be honest, no matter how much she wanted to.

"Well then, what a nice surprise," Her mother side, wiping her hands on her apron. "Why don't you have a seat and I'll get you a nice cup of tea."

"I'd prefer coffee," Lily told her, sitting down and letting her legs finally relax.

"_Oh_," her mother said, a little surprised. Her daughter used to love tea. "Very well."

"Where's dad?"

"Oh he's been in London all week," Her mother said, reaching into a cupboard for the sugar jar. "But he's coming home tonight. That's why I'm so surprised at you showing up here like this. Still, what a nice surprise."

Trucks rumbled from outside.

"That's the Americans back then," Her mother said, peering out of the window.

"I saw them on my way in," Lily mused. "The largest convoy I've ever seen!"

"Lovely chaps," Her mother smiled fondly. "I wonder if they'll be staying with the locals this time. I told you about last time, didn't I? When we had two of them staying with us."

"Yes, you did," She said, chuckling at the memory of how horrified she'd been when she'd read that astranger would be sleeping in her bed in Aldbourne.

"Don't worry," Her mother laughed, remembering herself. "I washed your bedsheets."

"I didn't _really_ have a prob-" She began, but stopped. She stared at her mother in confusion as she moved towards her daughter and began to sniff. "What mum?"

"Have you been _smoking_?" Her mother asked, horrified.

Oh dear.

"No, of course not!" Lily lied, thinking guiltily of the two packets of cigarettes in her satchel as her eyes darted around shiftily. "You know I don't smoke! It's just hard to get away from the fumes at the air field. _Everyone_ smokes there."

"Dreadful," Her mother tutted. "Filthy habit. Well, just as long as _you_ don't."

"Of course not, Mother," She said convincingly. Maybe this undercover stuff wouldn't be so hard after all!

………………..

The next morning, Lily woke up with the light piercing through the curtains. Yawning, she wondered how many hours she'd slept, remembering that she'd gone to bed before her father made it home. She heard someone pottering about downstairs.

Putting on her robe, she wandered down to find her father looking for something in a drawer.

"Dad?" She asked.

He turned round, and broke into a smile. Rushing forward, he swept her into his arms. "There's my girl!"

"I missed you, dad," She said, breathing in his cologne. A smell that instantly comforted her and one that she'd missed since being away.

"Me too, Button," He said, releasing her and motioning for her to sit down with him. "I was pleasantly surprised to find out you were back."

"It was all a bit sudden," She told him.

"Apparently so," He nodded, his eyes lighting up. "So, what news from the air field?"

"Dad, you know I can't possibly tell you anything," She smiled fondly. He was always trying to get information from her, knowing she was forbidden to talk about it. She often wondered if he was just testing her loyalty.

"Well suited to the military, you are," He said, fondly. "Are you still enjoying it, though."

"Well…," She said, her face giving away her true feelings. Feelings were something she'd never been able to hide from him. "It's been three years now and I was hoping by now I'd have been able to…"

"You still want to be a pilot?" He tutted, interrupting her.

"Yes," She said, firmly.

"Because of your brother?" He asked, sighing.

"No, not _because_ of him, but it does annoy me that he gets to be one and I don't. I'm so much smarter than him!" She said, half-joking.

"Yes. Yes you are smarter. That's why you should be smart enough to _not_ want to fly the damn things but, instead, just be contented to work behind-the-scenes," He sighed. "It's bad enough your mother has to worry about one of her children in the air. At least she's had the peace of mind to know that you're relatively safe."

She didn't respond, just smiled at him. They'd been having this argument for the last few years and, despite what was said, he knew he'd never change her mind.

"Where's Mum?" She asked, changing the subject.

"At the bakery," He told her, referring to his wife's shop. "She thought she'd better open up early what with all of the Americans back."

"I suppose I should go and give her a hand," She said, standing up.

"I think that would be a good idea," He nodded.

…………………………

Two hours later, she was wearing the green apron she'd detested so much as a teenager when she had to spend the weekends helping out at her mother's bakery. It gave her a strange sense of enjoyment now, though.

She was busy placing cream cakes into the window display case when a tall, dark-haired man entered. Setting down her tongs, she walked behind the counter. Looking him and down, she noticed him as an American.

"Good Morning," She greeted him.

"Hello," He said, looking at her strangely, as though he recognised her. "How are you this morning."

"Very well, Thank you. How yours-" She began.

"Well, well, well," A voice came from the doorway. "I had to see it with my own eyes before I could believe it.

Lily looked over at the door, and squealed when she saw her best friend staring back at her. Barging past the American in her excitement, she bounded over to the doorway, hugging the girl.

Lily had grown up with Hazel Wilson, the two of them inseparable since the early days of their school education. Well, inseparable in the face of most things, except from the war, apparently. Lily had gone off to join the WAAFs, whilst Hazel had entered farm work on the nearby farms, joining what would later be referred to as the "Women's Land Army", the girls individually being known as "Land Girls". Lily couldn't scoff at her friend's choice, it was difficult manual labour and so important to the war effort, freeing up men so that they could enter the military forces.

"Your mother said you were back," Hazel chirped. "I saw her this morning. I couldn't believe it when she told me!"

"I'm back for two weeks or so, yes," Lily smiled, still in a deep hug with her friend.

"Oh my Lord, we have so much to talk about," Hazel said excitedly. "And you couldn't have come back at a better time. All of these Americans! You wouldn't believe how handsome they make them across the water!"

The American Soldier standing at the counter coughed slightly. Hazel looked over, gasped and reddened deeply.

"I'd erm…I'd better attend to this customer," Lily said, trying to smooth over her friend's embarrassing moment.

"Yes, quite," Hazel said quietly. "I'd better get back to work myself. How about we meet up tonight for a drink in the pub?"

"Which pub?" Lily joked as she walked back behind the counter, knowing full well there was only one in the small town.

"Very funny," Hazel tutted, rushing back out of the door.

Lily turned back to face her customer. "So sorry about that."

"No, don't even worry about it," He said, smiling at her. "I'm in no rush."

"What can I get for you?" She asked, putting on her best _customer service_ smile that her mother had tried to teach her over the years.

"Oh, nothing to eat," He said, shaking his head. "I was actually hoping to talk to the manageress."

"Is there a problem?" She asked, confused.

"No, no, not at all," he said, shaking his head again. "I just wanted to say hello."

"Oh," Lily said, confused. Nonetheless, she went to the curtained area and shouted through. "Mum!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," He mother said, looking flustered as she walked through the curtain net. Her face lit-up as she looked at the soldier. "Now _there's_ a familiar face!"

She walked behind the counter and gave him a hug.

"Mrs Stone," It's so good to see you again!" He said, nodding his head respectfully at her.

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece," Her mother chuckled at him.

"Did you ever have any doubts?" He joked.

Lily looked on, confused. "Mum?"

"Oh, Lily yes of course," her mother said, snapping her fingers as she looked at her daughter. "Lily this is David Webster, one of the Americans that I told you about that stayed with us. David, this is my daughter, Lily."

"I thought she looked familiar," He said, smiling at me. "From the photos you showed me."

"The photos?" I asked.

"Oh yes," Her mother smiled. "I showed them all the family photos, whether they wanted to see them or not. Showed them to David _and_ Bill. Speaking of, how is Bill and why hasn't he come to see me yet?"

"Oh, he's doing fine, ma'am," David told her. "Not staying out of trouble, as usual, and missing your Shepherds Pie. He hopes to come and visit you himself sometime today or tomorrow."

"Lovely," her mother smiled. "Lily, you know David loves to read, too. He was very impressed by your collection."

"I'm sorry, but I did read a few to pass the time," He said, smiling meekly at me.

"Don't worry about it," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "I've read them lots of times."

"Well, I should be getting on," He said, pointing towards the door.

"Oh David, wait," her mother said, raising her hand in protest as she called him back. She grabbed a paper back and placed a cream cake in it. "Please take this."

"Thank you very much, Ma'am," He said, gratefully taking the bag from her.

"And you tell that Bill Guarnere that he can have his when he comes to visit me," She winked at him.

"Will do, Ma'am," He said. He turned to me. "It was nice to meet you, after hearing so much about you."

"Nice to meet you, too," She replied.

"I heard you tell your friend that you'd be in the pub tonight, perhaps I'll see you there?"

"Perhaps," I smiled.

He walked out.

"What'd I tell you?" My mother smiled. "Lovely."


	3. Chapter 3 Rude Awakenings

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Part 3

After dinner that night, Lily set off to meet Hazel and hopefully some of her other friends at the _Admiral's Arms_ Pub.

"Don't forget to take a coat," Her father called out from the sitting room where he and her mother were reading the evening papers.

"Yes," She called back, obediently taking her coat from the rack.

"Watch yourself with those Soldiers, young lady," Her mother warned, not looking up from her paper.

Lily stuck her head around the door. "You mean the American Soldiers whose praises you haven't stopped singing since I got home?"

"I know what I said, darling," her mother replied dryly. "But soldiers are soldiers, regardless of where they're from and off-duty they all have the same desires. I know what most of them are like."

"_I_ know too," She joked, winking at her parents before skipping out the door. "Air bases are full of them."

Although they knew she was joking, the still looked at each other slightly alarmed.

………………..

The Admiral's Arms was busier than she'd ever seen it from back in the day when she wasn't ever really old enough to be there, but got away with it because Hazel's dad was the proprietor. She was quite shocked the as soon as she walked in she didn't recognise many familiar faces, seeing a sea of uniformed soldiers before her. Aldbourne was a small town, but it seemed like all the locals were boycotting the pub. Except the Land Girls, of course. They were out in force. _Hell, why not?_, she figured. They worked hard manual labour in a town with no men. Women still need to feel like women from time to time.

Scanning around, she saw David Webster, who raised his beer at her to say hello. She waved at him and continued to look around. She spotted Hazel in the corner, arm propped up against the wall as she talked to a dark-haired soldier. Waving, Lily caught her attention. Hazel simply grinned and mouthed "five minutes" at her. Nodding, she decided to wait for her friend at the bar. Not wanting to even attempt to negotiate her way through the throng of people in front of her, she tried to walk in a roundabout way round the length of the room. Turning from side-to-side as she slotted past people, a dart flew just past her face and onto the dartboard. Shocked, she jumped backwards. She looked over at the group of soldiers playing the game.

"Watch it, lady!" one shouted over at her, gesturing emphatically.

"Why don't you make sure you have a clear path before you throw," She retorted angrily, walking past them to the bar.

Annoyed, she sat down on a bar stool and leaned on the counter.

"I'm surprised you didn't put that dart into one _their_ heads, Lionheart," A voice said from across the counter.

She looked up to see Hazel's dad, Jim Wilson, leaning over the bar with a dishtowel slung over one shoulder. She grinned at him, chuckling. "I know, I _should_ have."

"Nice to see you again, love," He smiled warmly at her. Her second dad, in her opinion. He pointed over at Hazel. "I'm glad you're home. Maybe you can have a word with my Hazel. She seems to think that by skulking in the corner I won't notice her talking to all of these chaps."

"Go easy on her Jim," She laughed. "She works hard."

"Fine, I'll go easy on her, but you promise to go easy on this gentleman approaching," He replied, pointing to one of the soldier's from that dart group, who was making his way over to her. Jim casually made himself scarce.

" 'Scuse me, Miss," He said, propping himself on the bar next to her. He was well-built, with dark hair and a handsome face. "I wanna apologise for my friends over there. They're brains don't react that fast."

"Don't worry about it," She smiled, waving her hand to show it was no big deal.

"Well I just thought I should come over and make the peace," he said, smiling cheekily. "I would never wanna offend Mrs Stone's daughter."

She thought for a moment until the name came to her. "Bill Guarnere."

"The one and only," He winked. "You heard about me?"

"Just something about you liking Shepherds Pie…oh, and that you can't keep out of trouble," she chuckled.

"Hey, hey, hey," He said, holding up his hand in mock protest. "You forgot 'a looker' too."

"If you say so," She said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Ouch," He said. "That was brutal."

"I knew it had to be you," She told him. "I've already met my mother's _other_ favourite soldier."

They were silent for a few seconds.

"So…," he said, clapping his hands together. "Can I buy you a drink? Y'know, to make up for one of the boys in my platoon nearly killin ya."

"That would be…,"

She stopped as she saw two familiar faces enter the pub. Two of her closest childhood friends (apart from Hazel), Eve and Ellen.

"Oh my GOD!" Eve squealed as the two locked eyes.

"I'm sorry, I should go and see my friends," She said to Bill, pointing over to the door. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Sure. Maybe some other time."

She bounded over to her friends, enveloping Eve into a hug. She tried to do the same to Eve, who pulled away awkwardly. Strange.

"Let's see if we can get a table," Eve smiled. "We have so much to catch up on!"

……………

Half an hour later, the old friends were seated around a table near the fireplace. By this point Hazel had joined them too.

"So go on, Eve," Lily said. "I'm sure you have some romance story you're dying to tell me."

"Well, there was that one soldier from when the Americans were last here," She said, reminiscing dreamily. "He was special. I haven't seen him around this time, though. I hope he made it through."

An awkward silence fell over the table as they all looked over at Ellen who, a few years previously, had lost her husband of just three months, Henry, when his plane was shot down over Dover. Although Lily hadn't seen her for very long since it happened, she'd heard about her friend's long grieving period. She hadn't been the same since.

"I was really sorry to hear about Henry," She said, looking down.

Ellen simply grunted as a reply and tried to change the subject. "So, Lily. Why did you come home all of a sudden?"

"Yeah. Did you get kicked out of the WAAFs?" Eve joked.

"Of course I didn't get kicked out," She laughed.

"Seriously, why?" Ellen asked with a slight tone to her voice.

"I just had some unused leave time to take," Lily lied, casually sipping her drink.

"Yeah right," Ellen rolled her eyes. "In the last 3 and a half years, you've hardly ever come home to visit us, not even for the last few Christmases. Why now, suddenly?"

Lily stared at her friend, feeling hurt at her tone…that and she genuinely didn't know what else to say in the face of the barrage of questions.

Hazel tried to relieve the tension and keep things light. "What's with all the question, eh? Let's just be glad she's home."

Lily, however, didn't like leaving things unsaid. "Do you have something you want to say to me, Ellen?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I just think it's quite shocking that, with all of the leave you must have been building up, you couldn't come and visit us once in a while. Especially in our times of need," Ellen said, looking away.

"Are you talking about Henry?" Lily asked, levelling with her friend.

"Well, I would have thought you'd have come to visit me when I was upset after he was shot down,"

"Ellen, I didn't find out that that happened until two months after it happened," Lily said, trying to make her understand. "Even if I had known, there was no way I'd have been able to get away at that time. The air bases were still in disarray after the Luftwaffe bombings! They were reluctant to let _anyone_ off on leave, much less a new start."

Ellen tutted and waved her hand emphatically. "Irregardless. The girl I knew would have found her way back to help a friend in her time of need. You've changed, Lily."

Lily sat up straight in her chair, angrily. "Well then you and me both. The girl _I_ knew would have understood that there are some things you just can't do when there's a war on!"

The awkward silence set in again, each girl sipping their drink as they looked in different directions. Anywhere but at each other. It became unbearable.

"I'm going outside for a smoke," Lily said, standing up.

"She smokes now?" she heard Ellen spit out as she left.

………………

Outside, she slumped on a nearby bench and put her head in her hands. What a mess. Hearing chatter, she was interrupted by the sound of two men coming outside. She looked up to see David Webster and Bill Guarnere.

"Hey," Webster greeted her excitedly, pointing to Bill. "This is Bill Guarnere, I don't think you two have met yet."

"Yeah we have," Bill corrected him, smirking at her. "We met when she tried to stop Babe scoring a bullseye?"

"What, " Webster asked, confused.

"Nothin'. I'll explain later," Bill said, rolling his eyes.

Suddenly Hazel burst out of the wooden doors, looking around erratically. "Lily!"

"I'm here," Lily said, waving at her.

Hazel smiled sympathetically, walking over to her. "Don't worry about Ellen. She's just feeling sore about Henry. She didn't really mean to say that to you, not deep down."

"It's fine, Hazel," Lily said dismissively, indicating to the two men.

"Oh!" Hazel squeaked, genuinely just realising for the first time they were there.

Lily smirked slightly. "Hazel, you remember David Webster from the shop this morning?"

"Oh of course," Hazel purred (yes, _purred_), holding our her hand. "It's so nice to meet you properly."

"Um…you too," He said, shaking her hand. He looked at Lily desperately. "Aaaanyway, Bill and I were gonna head back to barracks. Do you want us to walk you home?"

"No, it's okay," She replied, looking at her feet glumly. "I think I'll stay here for a while longer in the fresh air."

Bill cocked his head to one side as he looked at her, then looked back at Webster. "Y'know I might stick around and have a few more beers."

Hazel rubbed her hands together excitedly and beamed at Webster. "You can walk me home if you like."

"Um…I'm not really sure we're in the same direction," Web replied, looking for an excuse.

"Oh yes we are. The barracks are right by my house," She said, pausing as she realised how _too well-informed_ that made her sounds. "Or, erm…so I hear."

"Come on Web, be a _gent_. Walk the lady home," Bill teased his friend.

They began to set off down the road, David Webster throwing a desperate glance back at us every once in a while.

"Poor Web," Bill laughed, sitting next to me on the bench. "I'm sorry if she's a good friend, but she seems pretty nuts."

"She's not like that all the time around men," Lily reassured him. "None of the ladies in this town get to be around men above the age of 16 and below the age of 50 very often."

He laughed as she took out her cigarette packet, groaning when she realised she'd smoked them all. "Need a smoke?"

"Yes please," She said, reaching into her other pocket and taking out her lighter. "All I have is a lighter."

"Well hey, I don't have one of those so let's see if we can't help each other out," He said, giving her a cigarette and taking her lighter, lighting them both. He pointed back towards the bar. "So…trouble with a friend?"

"Something like that," She shrugged.

"Feel like telling a complete stranger about it?" He asked.

She let out a laugh, then took a deep breath. "It's...she's just mad at me for not being there when she was going through a tough time. But I wouldn't have been able to get to her. She says I've changed. I don't know…maybe she's changed."

"It's a war," He reasoned, looking over at a middle-aged cyclist nearby who'd gotten off his bicycle and began to fiddle with the chain. "Everybody changes during war…but not always for the worse. Besides, don't be too hard on her. No one can really understand military obligations until they're a part of it. Your ma told me your in the air force?"

"Not really," She shook her head. "It's the Women's _Auxiliary_ Air Force. No actual flying involved. I'm an interpreter."

"Ah, that stuff that you need smarts for," He said, rolling his eyes jokingly.

"Not really. I grew up in Germany, that's all," She corrected him.

"Ooh, how do we know where your true loyalties lie then?" He teased, chuckling. "Might be working both sides. How do we know you're not a spy?

"Ha…ha," She fake-laughed, but her stomach had done a bellyflop at the mention of the war. If only he knew…

"Only kidding," He said, patting her shoulder. "You seem too British for that. You and your ma."

"Too British?" She repeated.

Last time we were here, she gave us scones and called sausages _bangers_…I'll say no more," He said, scratching his head casually.

"And that's British is it?" She asked, laughing.

"Well I hate to stereotype," He said, making out as though he was about take back what he'd just said. "but…yeah."

"Very funny," She rolled her eyes, taking another drag on her cigarette.

"I'll bet she hates you doin' that, your ma," He said, pointing to the cigarette. "I had to smoke out the bathroom window when I stayed at your house."

"She doesn't actually know," Lily said, smiling mischievously. "So you don't know anything, in case she asks."

"Lips are sealed," He promised. "She talked about you a lot to me an' Web. So much so that we ended up really wanting to meet you."

"Why?" She asked, curiously.

"Well I don't know about Web, but _I_ really admire women that take part in the war effort instead of just sitting around flirting with the soldiers like the rest of the girls in this town,"

"Now, now," She said defensively. "The ladies around here work hard on the farms whilst the men are away fighting. Everyone pitches in."

"My mistake," He yawned, throwing his cigarette butt away and standing up. "Anyway, I'm going to head back to barracks…see if Web made it home in one piece. You want me to walk you home?"

"No I'm alright," She said, leaning back. "I'm not ready to go home yet. I think I'll just sit here a bit longer."

"Ok," He said, holding out his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet ya, finally. Regards to your ma. Tell her I heard something about a cream cake…and that I'll be in to collect!"

"Will do," She laughed as he began to walk off. "Goodnight."

"G'night," He said. Suddenly he turned round again, taking a cigarette from behind his ear and flicking it at her. She caught it. "If you're gonna keep secrets from your ma, make sure you make it worth it."

She laughed as she watched him walk off, whistling to himself.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the breeze on her face, trying not to think about the argument from earlier. She got so lost in the moment she didn't see the cyclist get back on his back and cycle until he'd cycled right in front of her. Her eyes sprang open. "Can I help you?"

"Do you realise how much information about yourself you gave away in your conversation with that soldier, Sergeant?" the man said, staring pointedly at her.

"Excuse me?"

"The idea is to keep the amount of information that you give out about yourself to a minimum, I think you'll find," He said dryly. "Not the best start."

"Who…-"

"Also, I'd be careful about fraternizing when it comes to the soldiers. You should be going over there with a clear head…in other words, as few emotional ties as possible," He interrupted her, tipping his hat at her. "Good Night, Sergeant."

She watched, shocked, as he cycled down the road. Well, they said she'd be being watched…


	4. Chapter 4 A You and Me War

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country? – Chapter 4

The next morning, on her mother's orders, Lily found herself working in the bakery from early in the morning. So much for this being a _holiday_ back home.

"Put jam on those sponges!" Her mother shouted through from the back room.

"Of course, Mother," She called back, rolling her eyes and muttering to herself. "And I'll clean the counters, wipe the windows, serve the customers…"

The bell above the door jingled as someone entered the shop. Looking up, she saw Bill standing there. He scrubbed up well in the light of day, handsome in his uniform.

She saw him looking longingly at the cakes in the display case.

"You came down here for that free cream cake, didn't you?" She sniggered, setting down the jar of jam.

"_Actually_, I came here to give you this," He tutted at her in offence, holding up her lighter from the night before. "But, _yes_, since I'm here I _will_ take that cake."

"I was looking for that," She said, taking it from him and slipping it in her apron pocket. She indicated to the display. "Very well. Choose your weapon."

"What's good?"

"That one,"

"Mmm, I don't really go for nuts," He screwed up his face. He changed the subject as he perused. "Y'know, I think you left your lighter with me so I'd have to find you and give it back to you."

She burst out laughing. He was so cocky! "_Highly_ unlikely!"

"Hmm, I'm not so sure," He smirked, pretending to put a lot of thought into his cake decision. "What's this one? Apple in a cream cake? That can't be right."

"We normally use strawberries, but they're scarce what with the rationing and all," She replied, dryly. "And perhaps _you_ didn't give me it back on purpose so that you could see _me_ again."

"Hell, maybe," He chuckled warmly, giving her a flirty look. She raised her eyes in shock. How suggestive. He tried to change the subject. "So…did you make up with your friend?"

"Not yet," She said, looking away.

"Well don't worry," He said positively, sensing he'd touched a nerve. "Why don't you come for a drink tomorrow with me and my buddies? I still owe you one for the darts accident and I have the whole day off."

"No thank you," She said almost instantly, remembering the night before and what she'd been warned.

_Besides_, she thought to herself, as she saw Ellen walk past the window, _I have to make sure things are running smoothly at home_. She turned to Bill. "Excuse me."

"Is that Bill Guarnere I hear?" Her mother's voice came from the back.

Lily didn't have time to reply, however, as she rushed from the shop in pursuit of Ellen, eventually catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "Ellen!"

"Oh, hi," Ellen said awkwardly, staring down at her feet.

"Listen, what are you doing tomorrow?" she asked.

"Working at the farm. Why?" Ellen responded.

"If I could arrange the time off for you, would you spend the day with me?" She asked, eagerly.

"What do you mean?" Ellen asked, restlessly. "Look, I'm very busy and…"

"Please," Lily repeated, begging. "Spend the day with me. You and I…we have some things to work out."

Ellen looked at her watch, grimacing at the time. "Yes, alright. Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lily watched her scuttle down the street before making her way back to the bakery. How in the hell was she going to arrange it? She bumped back into Bill at the door, holding his freebie in a brown paper bag.

"What one'd you choose?" She asked, trying to peer into the bag.

"The apple," He said, sheepishly. "Your Ma' let me try some."

"_Apple in a cream cake? That can't be right_," She repeated his words, teasingly.

"Yeah, well I can admit when I'm wrong, okay?" He said, shaking his head at her. "So, are you sure I can't tempt you with that drink?"

"No thanks, Sergeant," She smiled politely, feeling a little sad to say the words. He was so handsome. "But thank you very much for the offer."

Nodding his head in defeat, he took off. She watched him leave. It's not the she didn't want to. Quite the contrary because, despite how cocky he was, she _did_. But that was the exact problem. She'd been warned about creating emotional ties before leaving. She needed a level-head. Besides, from the ones she'd met at the air base, she'd gotten the impression a military man's affections neither extended only to one girl nor did it last very long. She decided it would be best if she avoided the handsome sergeant.

_Still though, pity,_ she thought as she walked back inside.

…………………..

A few hours later, she managed to escape the bakery by doing some deliveries for her mother. Grateful for the fresh air, she set off down one of the quieter back roads to the Old Folks Home, where the residents were expecting a dozen jam tarts.

She sauntered down the road, humming to herself. Suddenly a roaring noise filled the air. She turned round to see a motorbike at breakneck speeding bombing down the road. Freezing for a moment, it whizzed by her and she screamed and jumped onto the side of the road and into the hedgerow. Breathing deeply and shocked, she lay on her back in the position she'd fell into. She heard two American voices growing closer to her.

"Jesus, Malark! I thought you said you could drive the thing!"

"She came outta nowhere!"

"I _did_ not come out of nowhere," She cried out from the ground. "You couldn't have missed me!"

"It's Lily!" One of them said. She looked up as the approached, into the face of Bill Guarnere. Apologising profusely, he bent down to help her up. "I'm so sorry!"

"Can I just ask?" She began, on her feet again and wiping the grass off of her dress. "Are you and your fellow soldiers actually _trying_ to kill me because I have to say I'm getting that impression!"

"Of course we're not trying to kill you," He replied, amused.

"It's my fault, Miss," The other one, a redhead with freckles, piped. "I _borrowed_ that bike from our base and Sergeant Guarnere here wanted a test drive."

"Are you okay?" Bill asked, looking at her, concerned.

"I'm fine," She said, defensively, before her face softened. "Just a tumble, that's all."

"I think you'll agree to me buying you that drink now," He said, cockily. "I think I owe you, now."

She tutted at his cockiness, but thought for a moment. A thought forming in her head. Suddenly she burst into a smile. "Alright, Sergeant. I'll let you make it up to me."

"Excellent," Bill smiled, rubbing his hands together. "Tomorrow night, then? At the pub?"

"Oh no, tomorrow morning. Let's say 8 a.m sharp," She suggested, smiling warmly.

"8 a.m.?!" He repeated, shocked. "Little early isn't it?"

"Of course it's not," She reassured him.

"Okay then," He said, looking back at his friend and shrugging in confusion.

"Oh, and you should bring the other soldier in your platoon. The one that almost hit me with the dart," She said, clicking her fingers as though the idea had just struck her. "I think he needs to make it up to me to."

"Sure, sure," He said, seemingly just wanting to agree with her. He pointed to the sidecar of the motorbike. "Can I give you a ride somewhere? Where were you headed?"

"The Old Folks Home on Wise Street," She said.

"Hop in then," He said, leading her to the bike.

"What about your friend?" She asked, pointing back to the other soldier.

"Oh, it's okay," Bill said, helping her into the sidecar. "Malarkey can walk."

"Malarkey can…_what?!_" The soldier cried.

"Well you're clearly not a very good driver, and it would be uh…irresponsible of me to let you drive this again," Bill replied, trying to justify himself as he joked with his friend.

"Son of a Bitch," Malarkey chuckled, watching them speed of, marvelling at what a girl could make Bill Guarnere do.

………………….

The next morning, bright and early, she walked to the pub to meet Bill and his fellow soldier. She saw them standing side-by-side outside, looking very smart.

"Good morning," She chirped.

"Good Morning," Bill replied, pointing to the man next to him. "This is George Luz, as ordered."

"Morning," He said, reaching out to shake her hand. "Early drinkers, you Limeys. I like it. Is this place even open yet?"

"I don't know" She replied, playing dumb. "Doesn't matter, though. We're not going in there."

"We're not?" Bill asked, confused.

"No gentlemen," She laughed. "Follow me."

…………..

Bill and George began to get suspicious as Lily led them away from the main town centre and up a dirt track off the beaten, leading up to a farm. It was, in fact, the Wilkins Farm, where a lot of the Land Girls in the area were working.

"Where are we goin'?" George asked, nervously smoking a cigarette.

"You'll see," She turned round, winking at him.

They walked through the farm gates, where they saw Ellen waiting on them dressed in her best.

"Ellen, this is Sergeants Bill Guarnere and George Luz," Lily smiled. "…your replacements."

"I'm sorry. Her _what_?" Bill asked. "Say that again."

"I have to say," Ellen smiled gratefully. "It was so nice of you to offer to cover me today so that I could have a day off to go to Ramsbury with Lily. It's been _so_ long since I had a day off."

"Uh…," Bill began. Lily smiled at him pleadingly and he understood. He sighed. "It's fine. No problem, really."

"Follow me," Ellen said, leading them up the hill. "I'll show you where everything is."

Bill leaned closer to Lily as they walked up the hill, whispering into her ear. "Do I look like the kinda guy who knows anything about farming?"

"Well," She whispered back, joking. "You didn't understand what the Land Girls did and how hard they worked. Now here's a chance to find out."

"Just so you know, this is war," He said, smiling evilly at her.

"Well, the whole world knows this is war," She shot back sarcastically, winking at him.

"I mean a _you and me_ kinda war. Don't think I won't get you back for this," He promised.

"But I thought you owed me?" She laughed.

"Lady, I think my debt is repaid and then some!" He said, rolling his eyes.

At this point Luz, who'd been trailing at the back, walked up closer to them. "Bill, buddy. I aint happy. You said there'd be drinking, darts…and that she'd be bringing her friends! I didn't figure on this."

"Don't worry, George," She reassured him. "The farm is full of girls who haven't been around men in a good long while."

He broke out into a grin as a spring developed in his step. "Enter George Luz."

………………………

Lily and Ellen sat opposite each other at the café in Ramsbury, sharing a Cream Tea. The atmosphere along the way had been awkward, with neither knowing how to start a proper conversation after the other night. Lily wanted to wait until they could sit down properly face-to-face before they began to really talk.

"Ellen, what you said the other night…," She began.

"I'm sorry," Ellen said. "I was out of order. It was utterly wrong of me to suggest…"

"I think you may have been right, though," Lily admitted, looking down. "I haven't been there for you over the past few years…for any of you, really. It's just…when you're in the military bases, you really get caught up in the war and you feel guilty when you're not there, when you take a holiday. It's as though people may die because you decided to take time off. Even though that's not true, you still feel it."

"I understand," Ellen nodded. "I _was_ out of order the other night. We all understand how difficult your job is, even though you can't talk about it."

"And about Henry…," Lily began.

Ellen held up her hand. "Don't worry about that. I know you would have been here if you could. I was just feeling some self-pity. I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that you might have been responsible in helping take down some of the bastar….buggers that shot down my Henry."

Lily smiled, sympathetically. "We can only hope. Just so you know, if I survive…I promise I'll visit home more often. As often as I can."

"Why wouldn't survive?" Ellen asked, cocking her head to one side.

"No reason. I'm just being dramatic," she replied, lying. "But I will visit home more often."

"I'd like that,"

Both girls smiled at each other, reaching an understanding.

"I'm glad we had this chat," Lily smiled, reaching out and squeezing Ellen's hand. "I couldn't go away without things being right between us. I just couldn't."

…………………….

A few hours later, both girls wandered giddily back up the track to the farm.

"How do you suppose they handled it?" Ellen asked, laughing.

"I'd say they'll be asleep against some bales of hay," Lily guessed.

"Poor chaps,"

Quite the opposite, they found, as Bill and George leaned against the stone farmhouse, refreshed and…showered?

"Okay," Lily declared. "Either you two did no work or you've had a shower."

"Hey," George said firmly. "I'll have you know we worked hard today. So hard that I'm going straight to bed when I get back to barracks."

"Yes, the farmer let us have a bath in his tub," Bill said, nonchalantly looking around with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I told him I had to be clean for a pressing social engagement."

"Which is…?" Lily asked.

"Never mind," He said, smirking and offering her his arm. "Shall I walk you home beforehand?"

"If you like," She replied, taking it and turning back to George. "Are you coming?"

"Nah, you two go on ahead," He said, indicating for them to leave. "I'm waiting to walk one of the ladies home."

"Oh," She said, amused. "Good luck."

……………………

As they walked back to hers, she disentangled her arm from his, not wanting to suggest anything. They walked along in peaceful silence, until one of them had to break it.

"So, did you two make up?" He asked.

She nodded. "Everything is sorted, thank you."

"Glad I could help," He said, smirking. "Even if I didn't have a choice."

"You had a choice," she joked. "_my_ choice."

"Oh is that right?" He asked, pretending to be offended. "Well, I think at least you'll let me buy you that drink now…surely?"

"Nope," She laughed, swiftly changing the subject. "So is this _war_ between us still on, Sergeant Guarnere? Are you still going to get me back, as you put it?"

"Oh definitely," He nodded confidently. "Sooner than you think."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"You'll see," He smiled at her.

She wrinkled her brow in confusion as they got to her gate. Instead of saying goodbye to her there, he walked her all the way to the front door.

"What are you doing? Offering the full service?" She asked, laughing.

He didn't respond, instead simply leaning forward and knocking three times on the door.

"What are you doing?" She asked, confused. He straightened out his uniform, then plastered a big grin over his face.

Her mother opened the door. "There you two are."

"Mrs Stone," He smiled, kissing her on the cheek. "Sorry to be a little late."

"Not to worry," She smiled, standing aside to let them past. "I was just about to serve anyway."

"What's going on?" Lily asked, looking at both of them.

"Oh!" Bill stated, enjoying making a show of being surprised. "Did your mother not tell you she invited me for dinner?"

He winked and smiled at her, before walking past her and into the house.


	5. Chapter 5 Having fun

How far would you go for your country

How far would you go for your country? Chapter 5

NOTE- this chapter is quite fluffy, but I'm just covering the "fling" aspect before I can get to all the kick-ass, cool spy stuff, haha

…………………

"Mum, you didn't tell me you invited Sergeant Guarnere to dinner," Lily said as they all trooped into the dining room. She paused as she looked at two more additions to the table. "…and Private Webster and…_Hazel_?"

"Didn't tell me that either," Webster said, uneasily looked at Hazel sitting next him.

Her mother chuckled. "Well you weren't around to tell, Sweetheart. I didn't actually invite Hazel either…she invited herself, eh Hazel?"

"But I brought a meat pie," Hazel attempted to justify her being there, indicating to the ceramic dish on the table.

"Oh, and I see you've made Shepherds Pie," Bill said over-charmingly, pulling out a seat. "Please sit, Mrs Stone."

"Now, there's a true gentleman," her mother gushed as she sat down. "Isn't he, Lily?"

"Mmm hmmm," Lily nodded, rolling her eyes at him as she sat down. He beamed back at her.

"Now, now, good sir, you're making me look bad," her father joked, puffing on his pipe.

"Not possible, Sir," Bill said, turning to her father and smiling. His charm seemed to work on everyone.

"Now, would one of you boys like to say Grace?" Mrs Stone asked, clapping her hands together.

"I'll do that, Mrs Stone," Bill said, almost on cue.

"Of course you will," Lily whispered, smiling as she bowed her head.

……………

"Mrs Stone, that was _excellent_," Bill said, patting his stomach as he leant back in his chair. "You really outdid yourself."

"Don't thank me. I'm just doing my bit to make sure you're well fed and energised for fighting the energy," Lily's mother replied, clearing the table.

"The only thing I'll be fighting tonight is sleep," He chuckled. "I'm stuffed!"

"Say, David, did you enjoy the meat pie," Hazel asked, turning her whole body towards Webster.

"Well, see, I'm not a great fan of _meat pie_," He said, hinting. "It's nice, but it's not really for me."

Hazel thought for a second, then seemingly decided to ignore the underlying message there, turning back round and beaming at everyone. "So, should we head to the Admiral's Arms for a few drinks?"

"Hazel, that is a _great_ idea," Bill clapped his hands together. "Web and I were gonna meet a few of the boys in there anyway if you ladies would like to join us…with your permission, of course, Mr. Stone."

"Oh, yes," Mr Stone said distractedly, standing up and lighting his pipe. "As you will. Join me for a brandy in the sitting room before you go, boys."

"Certainly, Sir," Webster smiled, his eyes lighting up.

"What do you think, Lil?" Hazel looked at her friend excitedly. "Fancy it?"

Lily screwed up her face, shaking head. "No, I don't think so. I'm just going to have an early night."

"What? Lil, when did you become such a fuddy-duddy?" Hazel asked, squinting at he friend. "What happened to the Lily who used to distract my dad in the bar while I snuck bottles of cider out the back door?"

Bill raised his eyes, amused looked at her, saying playfully. "Yes, where's _that_ Lily?"

"I am _not_ a fuddy-duddy," She say, almost offended.

"Then prove it," Hazel challenged, winking at her friend.

Damn it. Hazel always did this to her, making a statement about her and filling her with the desire to prove them right…and why did she _always_ fall for it?

"Fine," She sighed.

…………………..

"Hey, why weren't we invited to dinner?" An American voice shouted out as they entered the pub.

"Hey!" A drunken George Luz stumbled up to them, pointing at her. "You should buy me a drink?"

"Why should I?" She challenged back.

"For all the work you made me today on that damn farm…and all the abuse I've taken since," He slurred, putting an arm around her shoulder and drunkenly indicating at all of the other soldiers. "Every one a' these guys been mooing at me…asking me where my pitchfork is."

She burst out laughing.

"Don't laugh!" He cried. "You buy me a drink!"

"No," She stated, still laughing. "You were working on that farm to pay me back for almost impaling a dart through my head! Besides, what are you even doing here? You said you were going straight to bed."

"But I met this girl...," He said, pointing over to a girl sitting at a table by herself.

"And where did you meet her?" She asked him slowly.

"On the farm!" He cried, drunkenly.

"Do you see where I'm going with this?" She asked, hinting.

He thought for a minute before it all clicked. "Ooooh! Okay…maybe I'll buy you a drink to say thanks."

"Buy me one later," She smiled, patting his back. "By the way, just a bit of information…"

"What's that?" He smiled doofily at her.

"If you're trying to…get more acquainted with a lady, shall we say, then it's best not to leave her sitting alone in a room full lady-starved soldiers."

She watched him speed across the bar.

"And that's why that boy will probably never get married," Bill said, next to her, shaking his head. "Drink?"

"No thanks," She smiled playfully at him, pointing over to the bar where Hazel was lining bottles up on the counter whilst her father was speaking to a Lieutenant at the other end. "Looks like we're set. Come on."

……………………

As the night went on, the drinks flowed throughout the pubs. It was one of the best nights any of them had ever had in the Admiral's Arms (though perhaps that was down to the vast amounts of alcohol)…and Hazel's father's takings had never been so huge. For Lily, what started as just the one drink ended up in her rivalling the Land Girls for their heavy drinking reputation.

On the line between tipsy and drunk, she scanned the pub, her eyes settling on Bill, George and some of the other soldiers playing darts in the corner. Dismounting the stool (very ungracefully) , she wandered over to them, leaning against a wooden pillar as she watched them play. Subconsciously, she let out a groan as one of them through a bad dart. They turned round to look at it.

"Good, you've learned to stop before walking in front of the dartboard," George laughed.

"What's wrong?" the dart-thrower asked.

"Well, it's just that…if you're going to play a British game then at least play it right," She tutted. "Now look here…sorry, what's your name?"

"Johnny Martin," He replied in an unimpressed monotone.

"Look here, Johnny Martin," she slurred. "I'm going to show you how to do it right."

Taking the dart from him, she threw it at the board, hitting a perfect Bullseye despite the alcohol. They all whistled, impressed.

"Okay, that's it," Bill said, clapping his hands together. "I got a new partner. Sorry Babe, you're off the team."

"What?" The disgruntled redhead replied, sighing and reaching for a beer.

"Needs must, Buddy," Bill replied, apologetically.

(15 minutes later)

"Come on Lily, this one for the win!" Bill cheered her on for the side.

"Lily Stone thrives on pressure," She announced as she threw the dart.

Perfect. Bill and Lily won easily against Johnny Martin and Luz, hugging in celebration.

"Alright," Bill said, offering her a hand for a high-five. "We dominated that game."

"Damn right," She said, awkwardly high-fiving him back, looking excitedly into his eyes, a bit lost in the moment.

"Victory drink?" He asked, pointing to the bar.

"No thanks," She said quietly, removing the darts from the board and placing them down.

Instead, she walked over and sat at an empty table, scolding herself.

"What was that all about?" Hazel asked, noticing this and joining her friend. "Why wouldn't you let him buy you a drink?"

"I don't need anymore drink," Lily reasoned,

"Well, you're right about that," Hazel teased. " But that's not the point, it's a friendly gesture…and he's just being nice. Give him a break."

"Nice," Lily repeated. "I think soldiers are only ever nice to get one thing."

"True," Hazel said, sipping from her drink and smiling sultrily at her friend. "Is there anything wrong with that, though?"

"What?"

"There's nothing wrong with a little harmless _fun_," Hazel said bluntly.

"Oh," Lily said, raising her eyebrows. "Oh, I don't know about that, Hazel."

"You're attracted to him aren't you?"

"Well, yes I like him. He's a very attractive man and he's funny, slightly cocky and tries to conceal it with charm…but he's a good man," Lily replied.

"So, what's the problem?"

"I didn't come here to have _fun_ with anyone, Hazel. I just wanted to see my family before I have to go back to work," She explained.

"Work, work, work," Hazel tutted. "All work and no play makes Lily a _very_ dull girl. We all need a little relaxation every now and then."

"Do you think so?" Lily asked, pondering. Maybe it didn't have to mean anything.

"Who knows, it might even help you work _better_," Hazel said pointedly, knowing all the right buttons to push with her friend.

Lily sat back in her chair, pondering this.

…………………

An hour later she was seated at the bar, staring into the bottom of another empty glass.

"Jeez, can I finally refill that for you?" Bill asked, coming up behind.

She spun round in the chair to face him, smiling. "No."

He closed his eyes and sighed.

"_But_," She beamed. "But you can give me a cigarette instead if you want?"

"Deal," He smiled, pointing behind him. "Outside?"

"Okay," she said, hopping to her feet, taking his arm and letting him lead her outside.

Opening the door, the were confronted by the breeze…and the sight of Hazel and Webster in a clinch. Bill and Lily gasped in shock, yet neither of the kissers seemed to notice.

"That's a surprise," Bill said as they sat down on the bench.

"Certainly is a turn up for the books," She said, her eyes fixed on the kissing pair.

"I guess he don't mind her so much after all," Bill laughed, handing Lily a cigarette. "There you go…and I'll even light it too."

"Such a gentleman," She replied sarcastically.

They smoked in silence for a few seconds.

"Wow," Bill said, looking up into the sky. "I can't believe how well you can see the stars out here like this. In Philly there are so many lights on my streets, you can hardly see them. Not this clear, anyway."

"Philly?"

"Philadelphia, where I'm from in the US,"

"Oh," She said, looking up into the sky herself. "They are pretty, but this is nothing."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I know a place where you can see the stars even clearer than this. So beautiful," She said, turning to face him.

"Where?"

She thought for a second, wondering where her next statement might lead. "Would you like me to show you?"

"Okay," He said without pausing to think.

"It's just outside of town though. Is that okay?" She asked.

"I got time," He smiled reassuringly, excitement in his eyes.

"Then lets go,"

………………….

She led him to the edge of Aldbourne, past the "Welcome to Aldbourne" sign and into the surrounding fields, the towering trees making it dark.

"Wow, sure is dark out here," Bill said, looking around anxiously as they walked.

She sniggered. "It has to be dark so we can see the stars. Don't tell me a big, tough soldier like you is afraid of the dark?"

"No," He said shot back, defensively. "I just don't wanna get run over by any rogue cars."

"Rogue cars?" She repeated, laughing. "At this time of night all you have to worry about are rogue cows."

"…I aint crazy about cows," He said worriedly as a _moo_ did, in fact, pierce the air.

"We're almost there," She said, leading him further into a field. "Remember, don't look up yet!"

"I heard ya the first twenty times alright?" He laughed. "I won't look up!"

She led him to a stone wall, instructing him to sit on it. She hopped up next him. "Okay, you can look up now."

"Holy shit," He breathed as a looked up into the sparkling sky. "Would ya look at that."

"I love it here. It's a good spot to come and look at the stars," she said, pointing up. "Look, that's Orion."

"I don't see it," He said, confused.

"Come here," She said, patting the place next to him, telling him to come closer. He sidled up to her. "See that star there?"

"Yep," He said, moving his head closer to hers to look up where she was.

"And those ones there," She said, tracing the outline with her finger. "That's Orion."

"I see it," He said.

"It's beautiful," She said, moving her head down to look at his to find he was staring right back at her, their noses so close to touching. Sensing a kiss was coming, she panicked and edged slightly away from him.

He sighed. "I can't figure you out."

"Figure me out?"

"I can't be _that_ repulsive. I keep getting these mixed signals from you," He said. "It's like sometimes you like me, but then…you don't."

She looked down. "I _am_ attracted to you, Bill, but I can't fall for anyone right now. I have to focus on other things."

"Other things, huh," He repeated.

"Hazel says it's okay to just have a little _fun_, her words not mine. I'm not sure if that's right though."

"Maybe not," He reasoned, looking at her imploringly. "But _war's_ not right. Nothing is as it should be right now."

"Are you saying we should give into our urges?"

"I don't think we should knock it until we've tried it,"

Seizing the moment, and seeking some comfort, she leaned in halfway, gently putting her arms around his neck and kissing him softly on the lips. It was gentle, comforting.

After a few seconds, their lips parted.

"How was that?" He asked in a whisper.

"Do it again," She whispered back. He didn't. "What's wrong?"

"I really want to," He said, painfully wriggling around. "But my ass is…fallin asleep here on this wall."

She burst out laughing. "Erm…we could sit on the ground."

"Sounds good," He said, letting out a painful groan as he hopped onto his feet. He took off his jacket and spread it on the floor, the inside face the ground so as not to make it dirty on the outside. "Take a seat"

She sat down next to him. He put his hand on her cheek, studying her face for a moment before leaning in to kiss her again. One led to another, each stronger and more passionate than the last. She couldn't control her hand as it made it's way up to his top shirt button, unbuttoning it…

……………..

The sound of a cockerel stirred her. Opening one eye, she felt Bill's strong arm around her waist. She yawned, prepared to succumb to the peaceful sleep which (despite being cold and uncomfortable) had taken her a few hours previously. Suddenly she was aware that it was beginning to get light and sat up in panic, hitting Bill absent-mindedly to wake him up. "Bill! Bill!"

"What? Ow, stop hitting me," He said, batting her hand away as he sat up. "What?"

"It's almost light!" She panicked. "I have to get home before my parents realised I haven't come home yet."

"Shit, I better get back to barracks!" He said, standing up hurriedly and wiping the grass from his trousers.

Half-walking, half-sprinting, they made their way back into town. He walked her home first, ever the gentleman. They arrived at her house, walking around to the back to her bedroom window, which she'd accidentally left unlatched earlier that day (what a lifesaver that had proved to be!).

"So…did you have _fun_?" He asked, teasing.

"I had a great time," She smiled, pushing the window inwards and hopping onto the windowsill.

"So…I'll see ya?" He asked, not really knowing how they should say goodbye.

"Perhaps," She winked at him.

"Okay, well thank you…for an unforgettable night," He smiled, turning to leave.

"Bill," She whispered, motioning for him to come back, which he did, walking obediently back to her.

In one swift move, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips, then swung her legs over and into the room. She quietly shut the window, kissing her index finger and pressing it to the window. He beamed back at her, before turning and walking off, whistling to himself.


	6. Chapter 6 Stargazing and Goodbyes

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 6

……….

Over the next few days, Lily and Bill continued their secret trysts. She tried to keep it to-the-point, light and as unromantic as possible, so as not to get attached to him. She didn't need that. Despite this, she found that the whole thing had injected a certain glow into her cheeks, one which she'd lost with the stress of her job in the WAAFs. Although not necessarily thinking of Bill, every morning she woke up with a huge smile on her face and daydreamed for a while before forcing herself to get up. This couldn't be a bad thing.

"Lily!" Her mother shouted her down, disrupting her from one of those very daydreams.

Sighing, she threw on her dressing gown and bounded down the stairs. "What?"

Harassed, her mother placed a pile of suits into her arms.

"What do you want me to do with these?" She asked.

"Take these suits to Mary Lamb's and have them washed, pressed and the shirts starched. Your father needs them when he goes to London next week."

……………..

Arms full of crumpled clothing, Lily staggered down the road to Mary Lamb's home. Miss Lamb, a local townswoman, had begun offering a washing-and-ironing service, previously unseen in the town of Aldbourne until the arrival of the American Soldiers.

Not able to see where she was going from behind her clothing mountain, she smacked into something hard, flying backwards and sending the clothes flying into the air.

"Hey, watch where ya…oh, Lily," Bill said, recognising her and sticking out his hand to help her up. "You gettin your clothes cleaned too?"

"Too?" She asked, looking out and noticing other clothes mingled amongst her own. "Oh…how are we going to sort this mess out?"

"Well, " He said, looking at her playfully. "We can just assume that everything that's not part of a US Military uniform belongs to you."

"Well…yes," She said, feeling stupid and so digging him in the ribs to relieve some of the tension. She bent down to help him sort them out. "So you were getting all the uniforms cleaned for the men?"

"No, I originally came to get _my_ uniform cleaned, but I made the mistake of tellin everyone where I was going," He laughed. "So I ended up with this pile."

"At least you're owed a favour back," She reason, pushing the door open into Miss Lamb's.

"It's the army, not the mafia," He joked. "It's not "I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine"."

"Then I guess it just makes you a _nice guy_," She said, amused.

"And don't you forget it," He winked at her, indicating to a waiting Miss Lamb. "You go first."

"No you. Please I insist," She said, putting her pile onto one of the side counter. "I want to sort these out."

"What a mess!" Miss Lamb exclaimed, looking at Bill's pile. "How will I know whose is whose?"

"Everyone labels their uniforms," He told her. "Just check the labels, inside the clothing."

"Thank you," she smiled, placing the pile in the back. "Can I take your name?"

"Bill Guarnere," He said, looking down as she wrote it. "No that G-U-A-R-N-E-R-E, ma'am."

"Thank you," She smiled. "Alright, that's sorted. You can pick them up anytime tomorrow."

"Thank you," He said, then turned to Lily. "So, will you be _stargazing_ tonight?"

She smiled at him, instantly recognised the codeword they'd unintentionally begun using to arrange meet-ups. "I will definitely be stargazing tonight."

"Good," he winked at her. "Cos it'll be a great sky tonight, absolutely _bursting_ with stars."

"I'll bet," she said, smiling innocently at him, laughing inside that only they knew what they were talking about. "I might go to the pub first for a drink, say 8 p.m."

"Perhaps we'll run into each other then," he said, walking to the door.

"Perhaps," She beamed back.

"Good day, ladies," He said, winking as he left.

"Such a gentleman," Miss Lamb noted, nodding approvingly.

"I'd beg to differ," Lily murmured.

"Sorry?"

"Erm…I said, can I pick these clothes up tomorrow?" She lied, thinking of _anything_ else to say but what she'd actually said.

Handing in her clothes, she emerged into the sun and began the walk home, deciding to take the secluded back path to her mother's bakery. She floated down the road, excited for the night ahead. As she walked, she took in the tranquillity of the scene around her, the green fields and nothing but the sound of the birds overhead. Looking into the distance, she thought she saw someone leaning against a tree. Moving closer, she realised it was definitely a person. The closer she got, the more identifiable the person became as the man on the bicycle several nights ago.

"Bugger," she whispered to herself as she approached him.

He held out a hand to stop as she walked by. "Didn't take my advice about the Americans, I see."

She didn't feel he had the right to criticise her, she was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. "I _considered_ it, but in the end I made up my own mind."

"And you feel you made the right choice?" He asked, nonplussed.

"Yes," She insisted, defiantly.

"Then consider this: sometimes the decisions we make have consequences. Sometimes they can get you killed, so it's best to take on board the advice of those who are just looking out for your welfare."

She changed the subject. "Is that what you came here to tell me?"

"No," He said, matter-of-factly.

"Then what?"

"The mission we want to assign you to. Things have progressed and we have been forced to speed up proceedings," He said, staring hard into her eyes to guage her reaction. "You are to attend training in London in two days time."

"What?" She asked, raising her eyes. "I'm supposed to be home for two weeks!"

"The situation is what it is, Sergeant," He replied, coldly. "Unless, that is, you've changed your mind about the SOE?"

"I haven't," she insisted. "If I'm required to be in London then I'll _be_ in London. Where?"

"64 Baker Street," He said, rhyming off the address which would later become famous.

"Very well," She said, stalking on down the road.

……………………

"Mum, Dad…I have to tell you something," Lily said that night, pushing her food around her plate. She didn't want it.

"What's wrong, dear?" Her mother asked, concerned.

"I have to go back to Norfolk in two days," She said, looking up at them.

"But you're supposed to be here another week yet," her father said.

"I just feel I've been away too long," She lied. She couldn't say she'd been summoned as there had been no letter or phone call.

"But darling…," her mother started.

"There will be plenty of to be at home after this war is won," She said. "I'm sorry but I need to go back."

Her parents looked at each other, knowing they'd never change her mind.

"Well then," her mother said, trying to put on a brave face. "We'll just have to make the most of the time we have left."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

……………………

After dinner, she left for what she decided would be her last encounter with Bill Guarnere. The following evening might be her last night at home, and she should spend it with her parents. Opening the door the Admiral's Arm, she immediately noticed the atmosphere. There was no music, no singing, no laughing…bar a few hushed conversations, the room was almost entirely quiet, with everyone looking down into their glasses, just drinking. The atmosphere was tense, awkward…and sad. She wondered what was going on. She located Bill in the back corner and sat down at his table.

"What's wrong in here tonight?" she asked.

"Where moving out again," He said quietly, looking at her sadly, crestfallen. "Tomorrow night."

"Jesus," She blurted out. That was a surprise. _Snap_, she couldn't help thinking.

"Big surprise, huh?" He said, forcing a little smile on his face.

"You've got that right," She said.

"I'll miss you," he blurted out.

She put a finger to her lips. "Let's not do that."

The atmosphere was just too depressing, for her and everyone in her. It wasn't how she wanted to spend her last night with Bill. She took his hand, indicating to the door and offering him a smile. "So, stargazing…once more for the road?"

They left quickly, their moods lifted.

……………

Assuming Bill was sleeping next to her, Lily lay awake, staring up into the sky as her mind raced. She couldn't believe it was actually happening. London. France. It was hard to believe. Now that it was really here, as she'd feared, she worried if she was doing the right thing. Was she going to make a difference? Was she going to make enough of a difference to justify lying to and leaving her family and everyone else she loved?

"Are you awake?" He whispered in her ear. She jumped. Apparently he wasn't asleep after all.

"Yes, I can't sleep," she admitted.

"Me neither," He whispered back. "I know why I can't sleep. What's on _your_ mind?"

"I was just thinking," She replied, turning round to look at him. "Why did you enlist?"

"What?"

"Why did you enlist?" she repeated.

"Well…everyone would eventually get drafted in, so I'd have had to either way. I wanted to be a paratrooper though, the chance to prove myself and, yeah I'll say it, for the money."

"And…is it everything you thought it would be? You didn't seem very happy to " She asked quietly.

"Honestly," He said, stroking her arm. "It's more. I've met an incredible bunch of guys who I'd do anything for, and I get to travel and meet all kinds of people…including amazing girls like you."

She didn't acknowledge that comment, and continued. "But if it's all so good then why didn't you all look happy tonight in the pub? Don't you worry about dying?"

"All the time, but it's the risk," He replied.

"And are you…happy to die for your country?" She asked nervously.

"Not happy to do it," He replied, thinking. "But it comes with the job, and if that's what the job requires then so be it. But to me, y'know, I wouldn't see it as dying for my country."

"You wouldn't?"

"For me, I'm thinking about people. I'm thinking about my buddies fighting next to me, and I'm thinking about my family."

"Your family?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah. I miss my family a lot but the way I figure it is we don't do something to win the war now, then the danger might come right to their doorstep. I think about that and…I dunno…it spurs me on."

She stopped talking. She had all the answers she needed. Bill, however, seemingly didn't.

"I've had such a good time with these past few days," He said, stroking her cheek.

"Me too," She smiled back at him,

"So…will I ever see you again?" He asked.

"I don't know," was all she could reply.

"Well maybe when we're done with this war I'll come back here and look you up," He said playfully.

"I might not be here," she stuck her tongue out at him, but inside she knew it could well be the truth.

"Maybe I'll take my chances," He winked at her.

"Que sera sera," she whispered.

"Whatever will be will be," he repeated.

"It's getting light again," she said, sitting up. "Don't you need to get back early, if you're leaving?"

"Shoot, yeah," He said, standing up. "Want me to walk you home one last time?"

"No thanks," she smiled at him. "I think I'm going to sit here a while longer."

"Sure?" He asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yep," She smiled, putting a hand on his chest. "You'd better get going, Bill Guarnere…or those trucks will leave without you."

"Okay, well…I just want to say that I've never…," He began.

"Ssssh," she put a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Don't say anything."

"Well can I at least kiss you goodbye?" He asked, moving towards her.

"Well, that you _can_ do," She said, letting him pull her into his arms one last time and softly kissing his lips.

Reluctantly, they pulled away from each other and gazed into each others eyes.

"I'm so glad I met you," He said, earnestly.

"Me too," she replied. "I'll never be sorry."

"Damn right you won't be," he joked. "You'll never get it that good again."

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him as they released each other. Everything had been said and done. All that was left to do was actually leave each other. She sat on the wall and watched him walk away until he was out of sight. She stayed on the wall, just thinking about everything. She only snapped back to reality an hour or so later when she heard trucks rumbling by on the roads. On impulse, she sprang to her feet and ran up the field and to the roadside to watch them go by. Truck after truck rolled by, all of the faces blending into the next, none really standing out until…Bill. He stood up, waving emphatically at her. She waved back, beaming. Then, just like that, he was gone. Would she ever see him again? She didn't think so. Like the day she'd come back to Aldbourne, she stood on the road until quiet resumed…and then trudged on down the road home to spend her last day with her family.

………………………

_**The Next Morning**_

Lily stood at the bus stop, with her parents and Hazel. She had her satchel and a bundle her mother had handed her, full of home cooking for her to enjoy. She could hardly hold back the tears as it was, but when she saw Hazel erupt into tears she followed suit.

"Come here," she cried, pulling her best friend into a hug and whispering into her ear. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I never told you but…you're my hero," Hazel whispered back.

"Not yet…but hopefully I will be one day,"

The two released each other and Lily turned to her parents, her mother dabbing at her eyes. The three of them embraced as one unit.

"I love you both so much. I want you both to know that, and if James makes it back before me, tell him that I love him too," she said, referring to her brother.

"He knows that, Button," her father said, kissing her forehead. "But we'll tell him anyway."

"If I dont' come…," she began to explain to them, but she couldn't finish. "I just wish I'd come home more when I had the chance."

"Then stay, Sweetie," her mother urged. "You don't have to go back right now, you have another week."

"No," she replied, knowing she didn't have that time, however much she wished she did. "I have to go…go make you proud of me."

"We already are, Sweetheart," her mother reassured her, hugging her close.

The driver rung the bell, indicating it was time to go. Panicked, she took one last look at the people she held dearest to her. "I...I love you all."

She got on the bus, sitting down and blowing a kiss to them. The next thing she do, the bus had roared into motion and she was off. Would she ever see them again? She didn't know. All she knew was that there was no going back now, that much she had resolved to herself.


	7. Chapter 7 Setting Europe Ablaze

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 7

…………………..

_**London**_

Cars whizzing by behind her, Lily shuddered as she stood outside 64 Baker Street, as instructed. London might have been the mighty capital of her home nation, but she didn't half feel uncomfortable in bustling cities. She wasn't used to such noise, not even in Germany when she was younger. That's why it had taken her so long to adapt to the roaring machines on the air base. Trying to focus her thoughts, she stared at the building in front of her- tall, white and windows everywhere. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the large double doors and walked inside.

_Here goes nothing._

"Can I help you?" The manicured receptionist said, looking at her pointedly as she approached the desk.

"Lily Stone," she replied, curtly. "I believe you've been expecting me."

………………………….

"You sleep here," the receptionist replied, opening the door into a dormitory several floors up, where the girls already in there all turned to look at the new arrival. "Belongings in the cupboard and sheets are in the drawer under the bed. Orientation begins tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp."

The secretary flounced from the room, leaving Lily alone with the three girls staring back at her. "…hi."

"Hello there," the one closest to her replied enthusiastically. She was redheaded, pale and had an excitable face. "I'm Annie Radford. What's your name?"

"Lily," She squeaked slightly, before finding her voice. "Lily Stone."

"Good to meet you," she said, patting the empty bed. "Come sit down."

Lily sat down, and looked at the other two girls. "What are your names?"

"Enid Crofton-Wells," the one said, in a posh London accent. She was tall and leggy, with fair hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"I am Giselle Laroche- Smith," the petite, raven-haired one said in a thick French accent, Parisian if Lily was not mistaken.

"You're from France?" She asked.

"Oui, Paris. My husband is...," she looked down, rephrasing her words. "_was_ in the Royal Navy."

"I'm sorry," Lily apologised. Giselle waved her hand dismissively, to show there was no harm done.

"So where did they recruit you from?" Enid asked.

"The WAAFs," she replied.

"Me too!" Annie exclaimed. "Where were you based?"

"Norfolk," Lily replied. "RAF Coltishall."

" Yeovilton," Annie replied.

"Not too far away from my hometown," She smiled, then turned to Enid. "Where are you from?"

"I'm a FANY," she replied.

"A FANY?"

"First Aid Nursing Yeomanry," came the response.

"Oh yes, of course" Lily replied, recognizing the name.

"So, does anyone know where they are going yet?" Giselle asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. "In France I mean?"

"Not a clue," Lily replied.

"I'm sure we'll all find out eventually," Enid said, looking down nervously.

They sat in silence.

…………………….

"Day One, ladies," A moustached, middle-aged man said commandingly, walking into the assembly hall where the four girls were seated. "I see we all made it through the first night. How are we this morning?"

The girls just grunted in response.

"Splendid," He replied, taking his place behind a podium. "I am retired- Lieutenant Colonel Digby. Ok, let's begin. You are here to be trained to go undercover overseas in Nazi-Occupied or near to Nazi-Occupied territories. Over the next few weeks you will undergo extensive training in undercover tactics and radio transmission, with your language skills being assessed all the while. To successfully gain access to the next stage in training, you must successfully complete this first stage."

The girls exchanged glances.

"A hectic schedule, I think you'll all agree," he continued. "But before we begin, I'm going to explain to you a little bit about the Special Operations Executive, to whom you now answer, instead of your previous units. The SOE began in 1940, formed by our own Prime Minister himself, with his orders of _setting Europe ablaze_. To date, the SOE has conducted innumerable missions, sending thousands of undercover agents all over Europe and beyond, from France to Holland, to Italy, to Norway and to Germany itself, to name but a few. All of our agents are chosen by way of a strict selection process, but don't let that go to your head. What we do here is very dangerous work and the danger involved is unbelievable. Well that's it for this morning, ladies. Report to room 132 at noon where we will begin Radio Transmission training."

With those parting words, he turned and marched out of the room, leaving the girls looking at each other.

"So…" Annie said, trying to fill the silence. "Are we all ready to set Europe ablaze?"

"I don't know about that," Lily said, clucking her tongue. "to singe it _maybe_."

They stifled giggles.

………………………..

Over the next week ten days, the girls fell into a strict training timetable. Breakfast was followed by an anti-Nazi film of some sort, showing the atrocities committed by the party all over Europe. Annie wasn't sure why they had to watch these every morning. Lily explained to her it was to ensure that the girls built up a deeply-ingrained, seething hatred towards the Nazis, one that would ensure they would never lose sight of their mission. Giselle spat out every morning on cue that she didn't need a film to cultivate a hatred in herself towards the Nazis, she'd already built it up herself after seeing her home country fall under the regime and her husband's ship sunk down by a German ship from the Kriegsmarine. After breakfast, they had 8 straight hours of classes. Radio transmissions saw them learning how to connect and use the radios, whilst Undercover Tactics taught them exactly that: how to operate under the new identities they'd be given and types of behavior they should adopt over there to ensure they would go virtually unnoticed. All the while, as promised, they had language sessions to ensure they were as fluent in they languages they were reputed to be fluent in. Lily beamed with pride when she was told that her German was so perfect she would easily be mistaken for a local, but the frowned as she was told that wasn't what they needed. They needed her to come across as a French native who spoke German. She would have to work on her French accent, something Giselle helped her with in their free time. The instructions further piqued Lily's curiosity about the specific mission she'd be going on.

At the end of their tenth day came the final testing that would ensure them entry to the next stage of training. They had to assemble a radio without any help. With the other three girls successfully completing it, Lily was the last one to do it. She was almost done, but had a last-minute memory blank about where to connect a last wire to.

"Think, Sergeant Stone. Think," Lieutenant Colonel Digby commanded from behind his clipboard. "Ten seconds left."

Panicking, she went for her first choice, then looked at the Lieutenant Colonel anxiously.

He studied it for a moment, then nodded at her. "Very good."

She let out a sigh of relief.

"Well done, ladies," He said. "You've complete stage one of your training. "Now onto stage two."

"Sir, what is stage 2?" Annie asked.

"For stage 2 you will all be sent to Dunham House in Altrincham in Cheshire…," his eyes sparkled as he told them. "…for parachute training."

Enid leaned in to whisper in Lily's ear. "Jumping out of planes? Oh my God, I'm scared of heights. I have trouble even knowing I'm this high up in the building!"

……………………

The next day the girls were on the train to Altrincham, chatting amongst themselves, in particular about the impending parachute jumps.

"If you think about it," Lily reasoned. "It's really the safest way of getting into occupied territory. There's a chance ships and cars would be searched and trying to cross on foot would almost surely lead to death."

"You could always be shot down in mid-air," Enid retorted, dryly and worriedly.

"Better to die before they can get their hands on you alive," Giselle said harshly. "I'd rather die before I ever let a Nazi put his hands on me."

Sensing she should change the subject, Lily turned her attention to something else that had been bothering her thoughts recently. "Girls I've been wondering about the other SOE agents that have gone out in the years before us. Do you know anything about them? The kinds of things they faced out there and the like…"

"No," Annie said confidently. "No one really knows, because most haven't made it back."

"What?" Lily asked, paling.

"_Well_," Annie began, getting more comfortable in her chair to tell her story. "A few days ago I was talking to the nice young male clerk in the Files and Records Office and-"

"You mean flirting with," Enid whispered under her breath. Lily stifled a giggle.

"_Talking to_ the nice, young male clerk from the Files and Records Office," Annie corrected her sharply, drawing daggers at her. "Anyway, he told me that most of the Agent Records are marked _Dead_ or _Missing In Action_ and there are reports of people who have spotted agents being taken to away in German Captivity."

They were all silent for a moment.

"So this is all really just an unsuccessful suicide mission?" Lily asked, sullenly.

"We can't know that," Annie replied, ever the optimist. "_Some_ have made it back safely. Besides, the ones who didn't- their missions weren't in vain. They still managed to transmit crucial information back to the UK before they met their end, information that has really helped."

……………………..

_**5 days later- Dunham House, Altrincham, Cheshire**_

Enid sat on the grass, putting her head in her hands and rocking back and forth. "I can't do it. I can't do it."

Lily rushed to her side, putting her arm around the distressed girls. "It's alright, it's alright."

"Stand up, Sergeant Crofton-Wells," the retired Lieutenant Colonel Digby commanded angrily at Enid. She stood up, shaking. "Hear me now. If you want to survive over there you'll have to conquer a lot of your fears. Now that plane will go up and up and up as long as it takes you to do a successful jump but, believe you me, by the time this day is through you _will_ have done one."

"But I…," she protested.

"You _will_ have done one," he repeated. "It might be with your lip trembling as I threw you from the train with that parachute attached to you…but you'll have done one. That goes for all of you."

On the Lieutenant Colonel's command, they strapped their parachutes on and climbed onto the plane. As it ascended into the air Lily, herself, began to panic about what she was about to do. She'd been so busy comforting Enid that she hadn't really thought about _herself_ parachuting from a plane.

As promised, the Lieutenant Colonel had to push Enid from the plane, her bloodcurdling screams piercing the air as she went. Lily whitened.

"Sergeant Stone, you're next," He barked at her, motioning her over.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God," she repeated over and over, feeling the wind blasting into her face as she stood in front of the door.

"_Go!_ Or I'll push you too," He ordered.

Screaming, she hurled herself out of the window and began to plummet downwards. She screamed _shit_ over and over until she pulled the toggle and began to fall more steadily. Finally opening her eyes, she noticed how breathtaking the view was. Suddenly she realised it wasn't so bad after all. It was actually kind of…_fun_. Having to restrain herself from squealing "Weeeeeee!" as she hit the ground, instead she collapsed on her back, laughing. She stayed there like that until the Lieutenant Colonel had gotten off of the plane and walked over to her.

"Well?" He asked, furrowing his brow at her reaction.

She tried to compose herself, standing to attention, but a large grin broke over her face. "Can we do it again?"

……………………….

The next day the girls sat outside the Lieutenant Colonel's office, waiting to be called into their office one-by-one to find out their individual missions. This was it. Their training was over and soon they'd be leaving each other to fly over different areas of France. Annie, Enid and Lily sat outside, waiting anxiously for Giselle to come out of the office. Suddenly the door opened and Giselle emerged. Looking at them, her lip trembled and she burst into tears, running from the room. They watched her go, looking at each other worriedly, feeling helpless because they couldn't ask her about her mission. Once they knew they were forbidden from talking about it until they got to where they were headed.

"Sergeant Stone," Came the Lieutenant Colonel's gravelly voice from inside the office.

Sharing a parting look with the girls she'd spent every minute of the last few weeks with, she took a deep breath and entered the office.

"Take a seat," he instructed, peering at her through his glasses.

Obediently she sat down. "Yes, Sir."

"Now, Sergeant Stone," He said, opening her file. "I suppose your anxious to know where we're sending you?"

"More or less, yes Sir," She said indifferently, nodding her head.

"Well, we can tell you that you're headed for the Marne region of France, to a town called Mourmelon-le-Petit," he told her.

She nodded. "And what will I be doing there, Sir?"

"You will be working in an establishment called Lulu's," he said, not looking at her as he read from the chart.

"Lulu's," she repeated, arching her brow at him. "Forgive me Sir, but what kind of establishment would be called Lulu's? Is it a restaurant or something that Nazis frequent? Am I to be a waitress?"

"No," he shook his head, coughing slightly. "Strictly speaking, you could describe Lulu's as a…Gentleman's Entertainment Club."

She thought for a second, then covered her mouth in shock. "You mean…a brothel?"

He gave her a dismissive look. "Well, if you want to put that label to it then…"

She held up her hands. "Sir, I'm confused. Are you saying I have to _sleep_ with Nazis to get information from them?"

"We would never ask that of you," he replied quickly. "Strictly speaking you'd be working as a receptionist on the front desk…however, if you felt there was more you wanted to do to get information that's up to you. It's really a question of how far you'd go for your country."

She screwed up her face, feeling dirty. "That has yet to be decided."

"Let me continue," he continued. "The proprietor, Lulu LaBelle, will be responsible for meeting you and taking you to your lodgings. She is with the French Resistance and will try and assist you in any way possible over there. She will, of course, have your French-identity passport and papers waiting for you over there."

_Lulu LaBelle_, she thought to herself, _Jesus._

"Whilst you are over there, we expect you to find out about the Nazis there, their next move and so on and so forth," he explained.

"So…anything I can find out, basically?" she pressed.

"Yes," he nodded. "But whilst you are there, we have another side mission we'd like you to look into."

"What's that, Sir?"

He placed a picture of a pretty brunette in front of her. This is Isabelle Ferrier, daughter of Politician Richard Ferrier. In the last few weeks, Isabelle has disappeared, and her father believes it to be down to the Nazi activity in the area. It is a case the French Resistance are looking into over there, and we'd ask that you help out whilst over there. A special request from Lulu LaBelle."

"Yes, sir,"

He placed a sheet of paper over the photograph. "This will be the identity you'll assume over there. Please take that and the photo away and return them in an hour, by which time you should have committed both to memory."

Leaning over she looked at the paper. She would be Lily Lavoie, a girl from Paris who found herself in Mourmelon to get away from all of the annoyances of the Americans and British people in Paris. Lulu LaBelle had offered her a job in the brothel and that's how she came to be working there. Taking a deep breath and trying to take everything in, she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her hands along the back of her neck.

"So Sergeant Stone," he asked. "Now that you know everything, have you changed your mind about the mission?"

"No, Sir," she replied, resolved…mostly. "I'm willing to complete this mission to the best of my abilities."

"Good," He looked at her. "Because you've come too far in your training now, we wouldn't actually allow you to back out now. You know too much."

_No pressure then_, she thought sarcastically.


	8. Chapter 8 You Have To Be Strong

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 8

NOTE- I realised I've gotten my timing wrong for this story completely for it to match up to the series so really for it to be accurate I'd have to change the date of June 28th given in the first chapter to late August/early September. I just like everything to be in order, lol.

…………………

_**12**__**th**__** October, 1944- Eight Days Later**_

As the sun began to set on the Archald Air Base, Lily sat on an upturned crate outside of the hanger, watching the shadows the setting sun cast on the ground and smoking as the crewmen got the plane ready for takeoff. She didn't hear the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Digby (stealthy as ever, despite his age) and wouldn't have noticed him had it not been for his shadow covering her in darkness as he walked in front of her.

"Ready, Sergeant?" He asked, clasping his hands behind his back.

She held her cigarette up in the air. "Ask me after a few more of these."

"Very well," He raised his eyebrows, amused.

"Oh, Sir?" She said, remembering something and reaching into her pocket, producing a piece of paper that she thrust in his direction.

"What's this?" He asked, taking it from her and peering at it.

"It's what I want my family to be told," she said, knocking on the wooden crate below her. "…should the worst happen."

He pushed his glasses further up his nose as he read. He let out a chuckle. "Accidental chemical inhalation, quick and painless? Bizarre. Don't you at least want to come out of this a heroine in the event of your demise?"

"I don't want my parents to think I was _that_ stupid," she said honestly, offering the Lieutenant Colonel a small smile.

"What makes you so sure you'll die," he asked, indicating to the letter. "You don't trust your training?"

She ignored the question, instead firing one at him, sarcastically. "What exactly _are_ the odds so far of an SOE Agent returning safely, Sir?"

"Fair point," he said, nodding his head.

She changed the subject. "I kept thinking of that moment?"

"What moment would that be, Sergeant?"

"I keep having nightmares about it. The moment when I'm…caught. The moment where Jerry's got me and there's no escape. Do I let him take me on the hopes that he won't kill me, or do I take my own life before he can take it?" She asked, paling slightly.

"You have to make up your own mind about that," his eyes glistened. "Personally, I'd take my own life before I let a German take it from me….of course, I'd take as many of them with me as I could first."

Lily stifled a laugh, loving the fact that the old man was still full of fight. Looking over at the plane, one of the crewman signalled to her that they were all ready to go. Throwing her cigarette stub to the ground, she stood up, double checking her parachute was securely fastened. She turned to him, offering him a salute. "Well, Sir. I suppose this is it."

"Best of luck, Sergeant," He wished her well.

She began her walk towards the plane, her heart thumping in her chest.

"Oh, Sergeant," he called.

"Yes, Sir?" She replied, turning round to face him.

"I've never heard anyone refer to their mission as _stupid_ before. Why do you do it then?"

"I guess it's the right thing," she replied. "Oh and for family. Someone told me that once."

……………………………….

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God," she whispered to herself as she fell slowly down to French soil. She began to regret denouncing her belief in any religion after seeing the effects of an air raid on a town near the air base a few years ago. She could have used the comfort of belief at that point. She was terrified.

With a gentle thump, she fell on all fours onto grass. Trying to keep her calm, she crawled under the cover of the nearby bushes, listening. Just listening. The longer she sat in silence, the more paranoid she became and the sound of the blood rushing in her ears. Finally, she heard the two clicks she'd been waiting for. Leaning over, she rustled the bushes loudly. A torch flashed a beam of light in her direction, showing her the way. She began to crawl towards it, mud sticking onto her knees and elbows as she did. As she neared, a set of arms emerged and pulled her into an open space on the other side of the bushes. Shocked, she pulled away and looked up at the person who'd done it. Although pitch black, the moonlight helped her to see that he was a young man, probably about 25 years old, dark-haired and with a fairly handsome face. They looked at each other for a few seconds.

"Liberté…," He said, holding up his hand palm-forward which had the double-lined crucifix symbol of the French Resistance drawn on it.

"Egalité," she replied, holding out her own palm to reveal the same symbol.

"Fraternité," they said in unison.

He offered her a small smile. "Sergeant Stone?"

"Yes," she replied anxiously. "What is your name?"

"I am here to meet you," he replied, dodging the question and slipping into French. "I will take you to the Resistance Headquarters."

"Okay," she replied, furrowing her brow in confusion as he held out a black cloth sack. "What's that for?"

"We don't trust you enough yet to let you know how to get there," He said, but smiled sympathetically. "In time…but not now."

"You want to put that over my head?" She asked, looking at him as though he was crazy.

He chuckled quietly. "Come on Madmoiselle, you have come this far…."

Sighing, she nodded in agreement and he placed the sack over her head, plunging her into total darkness. She felt him take her arm and pull her onto her feet. Slowly, they began to walk. In which direction? She had no idea. All she was aware of was hand gripping her arm, the snapping of twigs beneath her feet and the occasional branch slapping off the side of her face.

…………………………..

After what seemed like half an hour later, he led her through a large, creaking door and sat her down. Gently, he lifted off the sack cloth and she found herself sitting at a wooden round table. Squinting as her eyes tried to adjust to the lamplight, she noticed five men aged between about 30-60 standing, backs to the wall, staring at her. Lily didn't know what to say, she just stared back. Suddenly a door opened and a woman emerged, wiping her hands on a towel. She was around 40 and attractive, plump but in a very sensuous kind of way. She had dark curls, pulled into a tight bun high up on her head. She crossed the room and sat down opposite Lily.

"How are you, Cherie?" she asked. "How was the Landing?"

Lily, still disorientated from being in darkness for so long, couldn't respond. Dumbfounded, she just stared back at the woman.

"They have sent us a mute. What good is that?" one of the men spat out gruffly in coarse French.

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied in French. The men gasped, exchanging looks of horror.

Lily stared back at them, confused. Scared, tired and confused as to what she'd done wrong, her emotions got the better of her…and she burst into tears. Tutting, the men made remarks in hushed voices about how easily she broke and how it was no good.

"Shut up all of you!" the woman shouted, waving her hand at them. She stroked Lily's hand comfortingly. "What a day you must have had. What can we do for you, Cherie?"

Lily looked down, horrified at the mud caked over her arms and clothes after crawling along the ground. "Could I…could I have a bath?"

………………………………

Lily lay in the bath, bubbles up to her neck, trying to process everything. Her eyes shot open as a knock sounded at the door. The woman came in, carrying some towels and pyjamas. She sat down on the edge of the bath.

"Better?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks," Lily smiled.

"Just ignore the men, Cherie. Some old men still cling on to their beliefs that France doesn't need outside help to be saved. That we can do it ourselves," she said, adding sarcastically. "How well that has worked so far."

"Are you Lulu LaBelle?" Lily asked, curiously.

"Yes, I am,"

"Forgive me, but you don't really seem the type to…run a brothel," Lily said politely.

Lulu chuckled, tutting. "Because I'm too nice, yes? "

"Well…yes," Lily nodded.

"Well not all brothel proprietors are cruel mistresses. I _am_ nice…until I've been wronged."

"That's why you're with the Resistance?" she asked.

"Of course,"

Silence filled the room. Lily looked down sadly into the bubbles.

"Don't fret, Lily," Lulu said sympathetically. "You've no reason to. You're one of Lulu's girls now! My girls are all under my protection but, don't get me wrong, my girls are strong. They have to be in their line of work. That will have to go for you too. The things you'll see, the things you'll hear…"

"Is that why the men were so cold towards me?" Lily asked. "They don't think I'm strong enough."

"Perhaps they think that, but that's not why they reacted that way," Lulu replied. "I, however, think you have the strength in you somewhere. There mere fact that you've come here tells me that."

"Then why did they react that way?"

"Your accent," she replied bluntly. "When you speak French you don't sound native to the area or any well-known French region. Not foreign, just not native. It's not so much a problem with the Germans, they can't seem to differentiate the accents but the girls will know. "

"You haven't told them?"

"No…and I won't either. It's safer if they don't know. I love my girls, Lily, but this is a hard time to trust people. With the war and conditions being what they are, some Germans offer my girls the world and there's always the chance they might just take them up on it, revealing who knows what. So no, they know nothing. Not even that I'm with the Resistance."

"So what _have_ you told them about me?" Lily asked nervously.

"That you're from a rural village far in the west and that you're a distant relative of mine. I told them that you weren't making enough money there to support your family so I'm bringing you here to work."

"Okay," Lily said, trying to commit the story to memory to she wouldn't slip up.

Lulu put the towels and pyjamas on the edge of the bathtub, standing up and smiling soothingly at her. "Get some sleep. Big day tomorrow, you'll need it."

………………….

That night Lily curled up in the little cot bed, freezing and feeling extremely low in this unfamiliar territory. As she pulled the sheet up above her shoulders, she couldn't help but think that, more than ever since they'd parted ways, she wished she had Bill to cuddle into on this cold night because, even when they were in the open air, he did a better job of keeping her warm than any sheets or duvets could.

…………………………….

_**12**__**th**__** October 1944- Schoonderlogt, Holland**_**.**

Weeks had passed since they'd left Aldbourne for Holland…and the rigours of army life were making themselves very much known again. Bill sat on duty, fully-clothed and turning his face from the direct gales of that cold, cold night. He was missing female attention. He was missing Lily. He knew it had been a mistake to get so used to regular _relations_ and with one girl in particular. He couldn't shake the longing he was feeling.


	9. Chapter 9 Getting to know you

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 9

……………..

_**13**__**th**__** October, 1944**_

The next day Lily arrived at Lulu's _business_. Much to her surprise, it wasn't the dilapidated, seedy shack she'd imagined it to be in her head. It was actually a very large two-storey house, hidden off of the main drag in the forest, presumably to remain inconspicuous. Lulu had given her the keys to a small room in the back of the attic, where she could set up her radio equipment.

Lily sat behind the desk in the front parlour. A brothel with a kind of check-in desk, she couldn't help but be amused at the idea. The room, which she supposed was her office as of now, consisted of two-seater sofas, a chaise longue and a makeshift bar, stacked high with various bottles. Sighing, she reached up to touch her newly unfamiliar hair. That morning, Lulu had insisted she change it, dying it darker and rolling it into tight curls. She had said that change in appearance would help Lily embrace her alter ego better, plus that it couldn't hurt to fit in a bit more with the French style. Though she actually quite liked it, it was hard to get used to.

"Where are the girls?" she blurted out, interrupting Lulu's attempts to explain what her "duties" here would be.

Lulu sighed, throwing her hands into the air in despair. "This girl won't listen. They are on their daily walk. Every day I send my girls out for a walk to collect firewood everyday, because fresh air is good for the complexion…and a pretty face is what keeps boys coming back again and again. May I continue please?"

"By all means," Lily smiled. "Just to confirm again, all the work I plan to do here will take place behind this desk and nowhere else in this house."

"But of course," Lulu rolled her eyes, amused. "I expected nothing less. The English always were a little prudish. However, it works out fine for me, as now I have a German-speaker who can collect together a list of information on the particular preferences and personal requests of clients."

"Personal requests?" she repeated back, confused. Suddenly it hit her. "Oh…never mind."

Lulu leaned over the desk towards her. "Customers might ask if _you_ yourself would spend the night with them. I know what you're current reaction to that is, but the decision at that time would be up to you. But you know you'd get more information that way?"

Lily didn't respond and just looked down, disgusted with the suggestion.

"Either way, my cut is always 65, that's the house rule," Lulu continued, reaching over to a drawer on Lily's side of the desk. She opened it to reveal a vial of powder and a metal bar. "The bar is for self-defence, all of my girls have one nearby when working. The powder is a mild sleeping agent, to be mixed into drinks if we think a customer could be dangerous as the even progresses. We like to quell the problem without creating bruises where possible."

Pondering the prospect of hand-to-hand combat with a Nazi, Lily put her head down on the desk. "Why would a Nazi even consider paying for sex when, from what I've heard back home, they could just take it?"

"Many of them do. Rape is inevitable in any war." Lulu told her, shaking her head disapprovingly. "A lot of the lower-ranked officers like to have their fun. For them, thuggery is fun. Some, however, are slightly more moral in that they don't believe the uniform they wear entitles them to simply take sex when they want it, feeling, instead, that if they pay for it then they've earned the right to do whatever they wish with girls."

"That's a stupid logic," Lily spat out.

"Stupid, yes. Isn't it just. True nonetheless."

"What can you tell me about Isabelle Ferrier, the politician's daughter?" She asked, changing the subject.

Lulu's eyes filled with emotion. "Isabelle Ferrier was very important to the French Resistance. She had a love for her country that instilled a fearlessness in her of doing whatever it took to stop those who threatened it. She volunteered to secretly infiltrate the Nazi Headquarters in the area, information gathering and suchlike. Every second day, without fail, she'd deliver information back to us. One day the information just stopped coming. We waited and waited, but nothing. Then people stopped spotting her around town anymore. It was as though she just…vanished."

"How curious," Lily breathed, intrigued.

They were suddenly interrupted by the noise of excited chatter coming from the porch of the house.

"It's the girls," Lulu said, looking warningly at her. "Remember, only French from here on out."

The front door to the parlour burst open and six girls bounded in, arms stacked high with wood and chattering excitedly amongst themselves. They stopped talking when they caught sight of Lily, just staring at her. Lily stared back, noticing that each girl was beautiful but unique in her own way. There was a blonde, a brunette, a redhead, a raven-haired girl, a petite girl with exotic features and a larger-framed voluptuous girl. _Catering to all tastes_, Lily sniggered to herself.

Lulu introduced the girls as Barbara (the blonde), Aurélie (the brunette), Madeleine (the redhead), Odette (the raven-haired girl), Mathilde (the petite girl) and Sylvie (the voluptuous girl). "Girls, this is our new receptionist, Lily Lavoie."

They greeted her enthusiastically, all except one, Aurélie, who dumped her logs onto the pile by the fireplace, crossed her arms and looked her up and down icily. "Lily Lavoie?"

"Yes, that's right," Lily said, not liking neither this girl's tone nor her facial expression.

"Mon Dieu, what an accent," Aurélie said, accusingly. "I've never heard one like it before. How far into the west is this village of yours?"

"Quite far," Lily responded, listening to the girl's own accent. "You're not from around here. Paris, no?"

"Originally," she replied coldly. "Lulu took me in when I was 14, so I've been here a long time. That's why I was…_surprised_…to learn about this sudden far-off relative."

"Hush, Aurélie! I don't know everything about _your_ life," Lulu tutted, shooting a warning look at the girl.

She backed down, annoyed. "Well…how does she even know German anyway, if this village is so remote?"

"My father used to work in Germany, actually," Lily replied, pointedly.

The two girls began to stare each other out, they're eyes burning into the others. Awkward tension filled the room, and everyone could feel it.

"Okay girls," Lulu clapped her hands together, trying to diffuse the situation. "We have a big night ahead, so all of you head upstairs and begin making yourselves look every inch the pretty girls you are."

The all shuffled out, leaving Lily alone and worried. The last thing she needed right now was someone who was already suspicious of her being here.

…………………………

That night was Lily's first evening on the job, as it were. She sat nervously behind her desk, looking out at the scene in front of her. Light jazz played from the gramophone as clouds of cigarette smoke rose up within. The girls chatted animatedly in one corner, except Aurélie, who sat in the corner next to an SS Officer, the two of them chatting intimately. Lily watched, intrigued, as the girl made blatant, flirtatious gestures towards her customer. She found it hard to get used to the idea of being in a room with a Nazi soldier.

"Compelling, isn't it?" Barbara, the blonde, said, sidling up to Lily at her desk.

"Who is he?" Lily asked, pointing to him.

"He is Aurélie's regular," Barbara explained, excited to be sharing gossip with someone who hadn't heard it before. "He only comes here for her, and they chat for a long time before moving on upstairs. He is besotted with her, even asked to take her to dinner one night, but Lulu would not hear of it. We mustn't associate with customers on our own time. Pity, he's very highly-ranked. His position is called Sturmbannführer. I don't know what it means but it's high up."

"It means he's a Unit Leader," Lily explained. "You say they talk for hours? What could they possibly have to talk about?"

"A lot of them like to talk first. I think they have a lot to get off of their minds and sometimes we're the only ones who will listen…for a price of course."

Suddenly the doorbell rang, followed by a stampede of SS uniforms piling into the room one after the other. The room suddenly burst alive into action.

"I better get to work, I have some regulars out there," Barbara said, winking at Lily. "Pour drinks for the ones who are waiting their turn."

"A new girl," A soldier observed, leaning on her desk and looking across at her. "Where are you from?"

"I'm a relative of Lulu's," she replied meekly in German. "I came here to work."

"You speak German," He replied, his eyes lighting up. "Very good. Do you…offer your services here, because if you do…"

"I just work the desk," she replied, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. "That's all, I'm afraid."

"Pity, I'll just have to do," Sylvie interrupted, winking at Lily as she lead the soldier away by the arm.

After about an hour, all of the girls had disappeared upstairs, leaving just her and one young soldier sitting alone in the parlour, with the music still blaring away. They avoided eye contact, an awkward silence in the room. She studied his face. He was muscly, handsome with a kind-natured face. He couldn't have been more than 20 years old and had an innocence about his that suggested he'd never touched a girl in his whole life. He sat nervously in his chair, as though he'd rather have been anywhere else.

"Are you waiting for a particular girl?" She asked in German. "Because if not Mathilde is available upstairs."

He shook his head emphatically. "No, no. I'm not looking for a girl."

She nodded her head as silence filled the room once more. Silence, that is, until the noises of pleasure coming from above filtered down into the room. Lily raised her eyes in shock, her immediate reaction being to quickly cover her ears with her hands.

The soldier let out a snigger. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd never been in a brothel before in your life let alone worked in one."

"Is it that easy to tell?" She asked, putting her hands down again and letting out a giggle.

"Yes," he replied, smiling bashfully at her. "Your accent…are you German?"

"No," she shook her head, preparing to lie. "I studied there for three years…in Dusseldorf."

"I come from near Dusseldorf," his eyes lit up excitedly. "How does a student end up working in a brothel?"

"With war comes financial hardships," she said simply, brushing off the question.

"Tell me about it," he said, understandingly.

"So," she said, trying to keep things light. "So do you _have_ a regular here? Are you just having a night off?"

"No," he shook his head. "I don't pay for the services here. I'm just the driver I'm afraid. Someone has to drive all of these soldiers back to the barracks when they're blind drunk."

"I suppose I shouldn't offer you a drink then if you're driving?"

"Well…," he reasoned. "I suppose one couldn't hurt. Beer, please."

She poured him his drink and sat next to him on the sofa, putting it down in front of him. "As long as I won't get into trouble for getting a respectable soldier drunk."

"Don't worry," he blushed. "With all of those soldiers, they won't notice one in particular. Besides, I don't get drunk easily."

"All of those soldiers?" She asked, interestedly leaning in towards him. A young SS member willing to talk without knowing any better on her first night. What luck. "Are there a lot of you? I haven't seen many soldiers around since I got here."

"Oh, a good few," he nodded. "At least 500."

"500," she repeated, shocked.

"More or less. We're stationed a few miles away,"

"Hence the need for the car," she giggled, playing along.

"OSKAR!" a shout in gruff German came through from the main hallway. "TIME TO GO!"

The two looked at each other, smiling.

"You're name is Oskar then, I take it?" she smiled. "I am Lily. Lily Lavoie."

"It was a pleasure to meet you," he took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Hopefully I will see you again."

"I'll be here," she said, indicating around the room and smiling at him.

He left, with the other soldiers in tow, with the sound of Lulu enthusiastically calling her goodbyes from the porch. After they'd driven away, she popped her head around the door to the parlour.

"How was your first night then?" she asked, all smiles.

"…interesting," Lily said honestly.

"I saw you talking to Oskar," she replied. "Did he say much?"

"A little bit," she replied. "He seems nice…for a Nazi."

"He is very nice," he nodded. "Just don't forget that that's what he is. A Nazi. Don't start asking too many questions right away or they'll get suspicious. You're new in town and the locals not in the Resistance will tell them that."

"What are you saying?" she asked, confused.

"Take it slowly, build a rapport before you start firing questions every which way," Lulu replied, stroking her arm. "The more they trust you the more they'll tell you. Anyway, Cherie, I must go to bed. I'm useless when I've had no sleep!"

After sending back the information she'd found she went straight to bed, pondering over her first day and night in an actual brothel. She decided Lulu was right. She wasn't going anywhere fast so she didn't need to find out everything at once. Trust was key issue here. It was vital that she lull them into her confidence. She decided there and then that she would spend the next few weeks getting to know the people here before probing them. Still, she couldn't help but think that, the longer she waited, the longer Isabelle Ferrier remained in danger…if she wasn't already dead, that is.

……………………

After a sleepless night, Lily got up early the next morning to make breakfast for the girls. She imagined their line of work to be very hunger-inducing.

"What's that smell?" Mathilde asked, wandering into the kitchen. "It smells delicious!"

" I thought I'd make breakfast for everyone," Lily turned, smiling at her. "I thought you'd all be hungry."

"We all always are, every morning," Mathilde laughed. "Ravenous."

"I should think so," she laughed.

Suddenly Mathilde excitedly gripped both sides of the sink as she strained to see out of the window. Lily glanced up absent-mindedly to see a figure making his way up the path.

"It's Christian!" the girl shouted out excitedly, turning on her heel and making for the stairs upstairs. "GIRLS, IT'S CHRISTIAN!"

The sound of a stampede ensued and as the knock sounded on the back door, all the girl appeared simultaneously in the kitchen, all of them flustered and excited. Smoothing down her hair, Madeleine opened the door to let the visitor in. In walked the tall, handsome, dark-haired men. Lily's jaw dropped. She recognised him instantly as the man who'd met her after her jump two days previously, put a bag over her head and dragged her to the Resistance Headquarters.

"Good Morning, Christian!" the girls cooed over him. Lily couldn't believe it. These girls saw so many different men all of the time and this one handsome man had them quivering like idiots.

"Good Morning, Ladies," Christian blushed, nodding to the girls. He held his hand out to Lily, pretending not to know her. "Salut, Madmoiselle. I am Christian."

"Lily Lavoie," she replied, giving him her hand which he promptly kissed. As she pulled away she could feel that he'd slipped a piece of paper into her hand, which she quickly placed in her pocket. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Christian is the milkman and the postman," Sylvie said, hanging lovingly onto his arm. "He brings them both for us every morning."

"And partly just to see all of you lovely ladies. My favourite ladies." he said, sending them into an excited frenzy. "Anyway, I must go, girls. See you all tomorrow."

"Bye Christian!" they chorused in unison, all eyes agog at the window until he'd disappeared from sight.

As the girls sat down at the table to eat the breakfast she'd made, Lily sneaked a look at the note from Christian. "MEET ME ROUND THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE IN TEN MINUTES".

"Excuse me, I'm just going to pop upstairs for a moment," she told them, leaving and slipping quietly out of the front door instead. Walking around the side, she saw Christian waiting for her, smoking a cigarette as he leaned back on his heels.

"Hello," she greeted him.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Good thanks," she said, smiling at him. "It's not as bad as I thought it would be. Turns out the SS aren't as tight-lipped as I thought they'd be…thanks to alcohol."

"Alcohol will do that to anyone," he nodded, looking at her, concerned. "Be careful."

"I always am," she smiled at him reassuringly. "So…you're a postman _and_ a milkman."

He nodded, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Yes. My brother used to be the milkman…but he's dead now."

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled. "We'll get revenge for everyone and everything we've lost or will lose in this war. See you tomorrow."

"Bye," she called after him.

"By the way," he called, turning round to face her. "You suit your hair like that."

……………………….

_**22**__**nd**__** October, 1944- Holland**_

"Mail call," Private Vest called, moving down the bunks, tossing letters as he walked. "Mail call."

"Hey, Vest," Bill called, bleary-eyed as he heard Vest's calls coming from nearby. He rolled over on his bunk to face the Private. "Anything for me?"

"Uh…," Vest said, flicking through his pile. He pulled a letter out and threw it at him. "Here."

"Thanks, Buddy," Bill said, sitting upright to read it. He whooped and pumped his fist into the air when he saw the WAAF stamp on the front of it.

"What's that?" Toye asked, hopping over to Bill's bunk to look at the envelope.

"Don't be nosy," Bill scolded, trying to hide the letter from Joe's eyeline. "Just cos you didn't get a letter!"

"Hey is that the WAAF…," Joe said, clamping his hand over his mouth. "You wrote her, didn't you?!"

Bill sighed. "I know, I know. I said I was going to forget all about it. Don't bother with the lecture Joe, alright?"

"So why did you write to her then?" Joe teased.

"Well technically I sent it to her Ma, asking her to forward it to wherever she was stationed, cos I didn't know. I figured if it reached her and she wrote me back then I'd know for sure that I wasn't being silly and holding onto something that wasn't even there," Bill explained.

"Well, go on then open it. What did she say?" Joe asked, digging Bill in the ribs to hurry him in opening it.

Excited, Bill ripped at the envelope, shaking it for the letter to fall out. He was surprised when his original letter to her fell out, followed by a white sheet of paper. Confused he picked up the white sheet and read it:

_We regret to inform you that no officer under the specified name exists within the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. _

It was signed with the official WAAF insignia stamp.

"What the hell?" Bill whispered, reading the letter over again. "Doesn't exist within the WAAFs?"

"Well where is she then?" Joe asked, reading over his shoulder. "Maybe she lied about being with them."

"Nah, she was telling the truth," Bill nodded firmly. "I could tell."

"Maybe she's dead then," Joe pondered, putting his head to one side.

"Don't say that, Joe," Bill said, panicking for a second.

_No_, he reasoned, her job wasn't _that_ dangerous. Where the hell was she?


	10. Chapter 10 Coming and Going

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 10

NOTE- sorry if I've been slightly inaccurate with dates. Just trying to fit everything in 

…………………….

_**October 29**__**th**__**, 1944**_

"You should use the red tonight, Sylvie. It suits you better than that pale pink," Lily said, picking up the scarlet tube.

Over the last few weeks, she'd really grown close to the girls, except Aurélie of course. She'd taken to helping them to get ready every night, an experience so different and uninhibited compared to getting ready with her friends from back home. The way these girls openly discussed sex and men in such a frank and unabashed manner stunned her. But strangely she quite liked it.

Sylvie shook her head. "No. I prefer to look meek. That colour will make me seem to available."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Lily said, confused. "But isn't that the whole idea?"

The girls burst out laughing at her. The merriment was disrupted, however, when Aurélie burst in, her clomping footsteps announcing her arrival.

"Who took my red lipstick?" she spat out, her eyes flaring wildly as she saw it grasped in Lily's hand. Lunging forward, she grabbed it back roughly. "Who said you could touch my things?"

"Don't shout at her," Mathilde said, standing up. " _I_ took it, not her."

"Well…no one should touch my things," she glared, focussing her attention back to Lily. "You kept me awake last night, by the way."

"I did?" Lily asked dryly, looking away.

"Yes," Aurélie repeated, coldly. "I heard you stomping about in the attic, and then a loud clatter. What exactly were you doing up there?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Lily said, panicking as she remembered dropping her transmitter radio the night before. "I was just getting ready for bed and I knocked my bureau stool over."

"I heard you speaking as well," Aurélie accused. "Who were you talking to?"

"You must be mistaken," she smiled back, sickly sweet as possible.

"I know what I heard," Aurélie insisted, turning on her heel and flouncing out of the room.

"Don't pay her any attention," Sylvie said sympathetically. "She's just jealous. She used to be Lulu's favourite, but since you came…it's different."

"Different?" Lily asked, worriedly.

"Not in a bad way, but you're related to Lulu so things are different now," Madeleine explained, smiling at her.

"I didn't realise it was so important to Aurélie," Lily mused, changing the subject. "But she has the affections of her German Unit Leader, so surely things are rosy for her."

"Oh she has his affections," Barbara laughed. "_All_ of his affections. Have you seen some of the clothes and jewellery he buys for her?"

"Yes," Lily nodded. "Some of it sparkles so much I couldn't not notice it."

"Did you know that they meet in secret too?" Sylvie asked. "Away from here, I mean."

"No" Lily said, interested.

"Yes," Sylvie nodded, giddy to be sharing the information with someone who hadn't heard it yet. "In the forest and sometimes she goes to their barracks. Lulu doesn't know obviously, she just thinks Aurélie is running errands."

"Oh my," Lily gasped, clamping her hands over her mouth. "Does that mean Aurélie likes him too?"

"Oh no," Barbara laughed, shaking her head. "It's _all_ about the gifts. Money talks!"

_Hmmm_, Lily thought to herself as she stifled a giggle, feeling immature as she made Aurélie/orally jokes in her head.

"Speaking of Germans," Sylvie interrupted her thoughts. "Oskar seems to spend a lot of time talking to you, Lily."

"Not to mention Christian," Barbara added jokingly. "It's so unfair. We all spend months and months trying to attract that man and you come along and have him eating out of your palm instantly.

"Excuse me," Lily laughed, blushing. "I'm only friends with both of them! I'm not looking for anything more than that."

"Why?" Mathilde asked, gossip-hungry. "Got a man back home?"

"No," she said unconvincingly, her heart diving as Bill's face suddenly popping into her head out of nowhere.

"Yeah right," Sylvie beamed, jumping to sit next to her eagerly on the bed. "Tell us!"

"There was a man, yes," she admitted, not wanting to reveal too much. "We had…a relationship of sorts…for a while."

"What happened?"

"He went off to fight," she said, heavy-heartedly, wondering whether he was actually still alive or not.

"That's so romantic. Do you think you'll ever see him again?" Sylvie asked, dreamily putting her head into her palms as she looked up at Lily.

Lily thought for a second, then looked down sadly. "No. No, I don't think so."

...

That night, Lily tapped her pen on her desk out of boredom. The girls were all working upstairs as usual. She suddenly heard the front doorbell ring and the sound of Lulu opening the door and ushering whoever it was inside.

"Aurélie is upstairs," she heard Lulu coo from the main hallway to the Unit Commander. "She is waiting for you."

"Good Evening," Oskar said, walking into the room and nodding his head politely towards her.

Her eyes lit up. "Oskar!"

"Hello Lily," he said, smiling bashfully at her excitement at seeing him.

"Where were you last night?" she asked, moving over to sit next to him.

"I couldn't come. I had to do an errand for the Unit Leader because…," he smiled at her. "I got a promotion of sorts. The Unit Leader has made me his personal driver."

"That's fantastic!" She beamed at him. She suddenly thought to herself, _I've just congratulated a Nazi without thinking for getting a promotion_. Oh dear. _Still_, she thought suddenly, imagine the information Oskar would now be privy to. She could use this. "Congratulations."

"It's not a big deal…he _is_ my Uncle," he told her.

"He is?" she hadn't known that. "Well, it's still a good promotion. Rising up through the ranks."

"I don't really care about that," he sighed as she poured him a drink. He looked down, bothered.

"No?"

"Never mind," he offered her a half-smile.

"You can tell me," she said, then paused. "But you don't have to."

"It's just…this promotion is only a victory for me in that it keeps me from having to hold a gun for a little while."

"You mean you don't enjoy killing?" she asked, almost shocked.

"Contrary to what you might think, not _all_ of us do," he replied. "Me? I'm an artist."

"An artist?" she repeated. She'd never have guessed. She hadn't really thought about the Nazis having individual personalities. War propaganda from back home had made her view them not singularly, but as a unit, a killing machine.

"Yes," he put his head in his hands. "I hate all of this. I hate killing on command. I don't see the sense in any of this."

"OSKAR!" a roar came from the door. Lily looked up to the door to see the enraged Unit Leader. "What are you talking to her for? You don't need to speak to any of these girls! Your job is to sit there and wait for me! The only thing you'd ever have to speak to these girl about is ordering them to do things to you!"

Lily trembled, she'd never seen the normally quiet Unit Leader so enraged. In fact, she didn't know if she'd ever seen anyone so enraged in her whole life. She gasped out loud as the Unit Leader lunged forward, striking Oskar on the face, knocking him off of his chair onto the floor.

"You couldn't find the Champagne?" Aurélie cut in, her eyes agape. She'd seen the whole thing. She didn't understand the German language, but she could appreciate the tenseness of the situation. She quickly crossed to the bar and picked up a bottle. "Come on, let's go back upstairs."

She led the tense Unit Leader out of the room. Lily took a few deep breaths to calm herself, before bending down to look at Oskar's split lip.

……………

"He's not such a bad man," Oskar insisted as Lily tended to his split lip with a cold cloth.

"I believe you," she replied sarcastically.

"No really, he is," Oskar insisted again. "He's just stressed at the moment, what with the prisoner escaping and everything."

"Prisoner?" she asked, her interest piqued. She topped up his glass, hoping it might make him talk more (a tactic she had to admit she'd used a lot recently on Oskar).

He looked into her eyes, blushed and smiled. "I don't want to bore you, but it's just a female prisoner managed to make off with some important documents. She just vanished, and everyone is up in arms because there are roadblocks everywhere so she couldn't have left time. She's here somewhere, but no one knows where."

Lily couldn't believe it. It _had_ to be Isabelle. Making a mental note of the information, she tried to change to subject so as not to arouse Oskar's suspicions, taking hold of one of his hands. "So, an artist you said you were? I could tell. You have an artist's hands."

………………………

_**November 2**__**nd**_, _**1944**_

A few days later Lily and Lulu had managed to sneak off from the brothel to convene at the French Resistance Headquarters. Lily couldn't wait to relay everything that Oskar had told her. They were ecstatic.

"This means Isabelle is still alive!" Christian banged his fists happily off of the table.

"It certainly looks that way," Lily nodded.

"We _need_ to get to her before the Nazis do," he said, his eyes filling with worry. "Or she's done for. Lily you need to get as much information as possible. Tell me you can do this?"

"Well my source has just been promoted to a personal driver," she told them. "Of the Unit Leader."

"Perfect," Christian smiled. "Driving the bigwigs around, he'll hear a lot of information."

"Of course," One of the older men cut in, leaning forward in his chair. "She'd get more information out of the Unit Leader himself."

"I doubt that," another added. "Younger ones have looser lips."

"Besides that would never work," Lily explained. "He's besotted with one of the other girls, Aurélie. He wouldn't even look twice at me."

"Then why don't we get this Aurélie involved?"

"No!" Lulu insisted, throwing her hands into the air. "She's unreliable and easily blinded by gifts. We can't trust her."

Lulu looked shaken and nervous.

"What's wrong, Lulu?" Lily asked, noticing this.

"I'm just thinking that something isn't right here. Why wouldn't Isabelle have come to one of us? Made contact with the Resistance, even, especially if she had important documents. She knows the Resistance can protect her and she'd know to come to us."

"Obviously we don't know the full story," Christian pondered, stroking his chin. "But clearly someone in Mourmelon-le-Petit is hiding her. We need to get to the bottom of it. Lily, you need to do your part. Get as much information as you can."

"Okay," Lily said quietly, standing up. "I think I'll go back now."

"I'll walk you," Christian said, following her out.

They walked along the dirt path as the sky began to turn dark. They ambled along in silence, Lily lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she waved her hand dismissively.

"No, go on…" he pushed.

"It's just… this is all getting quite serious," she explained.

"_Getting_ serious?" he mocked her lightly. "Since when was it not?"

"I just mean…," she sighed, frustrated. "It's all getting a little dangerous. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Anyone in particular?"

"The man I've been getting my information out of. He's a good man and…,"

"A good Nazi?" Christian spat out. "No such thing."

"No, _he_ is," she insisted. "I wouldn't want his supplying me information to get him in any kind of trouble."

Christian stopped. "Lily, you know why you came here. You came to help us _against_ them."

"Don't look at me like that, Christian," she stopped, staring coldly in the face of. "I know why I'm here and I _do_ hate them. I'm talking about one of them. He's a good man!"

"Then you'll just to keep getting information out of him subtly. Don't make him think he's doing anything wrong," Christian reasoned, patting her on the shoulder. They walked on in silence for a minute or so. "So what makes this man so _good_?"

"He's against this stupid war," she told him.

"So am I!" Christian said defensively. "Doesn't that make me a good man, then?"

"I never said you weren't," she tutted, amazed at his sudden mini outburst. "What's the matter with you. Are you jealous or something?"

…………………..

_**November 6**__**th**__**, 1944**_

Lily looked up, shocked, as the front door slammed and the Unit Leader shouted out "WHERE IS AURÉLIE?".

"She's…she's in her room," Lulu replied hesitantly.

He stormed upstairs, Lily could hear his pounding footsteps. Oskar walked into the room, looking tired.

"He's in a good mood tonight," Lily joked.

"It's a nightmare," he sighed, collapsing on the sofa.

"Tell me about it," she said, soothingly stroking his arm.

"He's just been more stressed than usual since his second-in-command left,"

"He left?" she repeated.

"A few months ago," he explained. "We think he deserted. But it's bad news for my Uncle- a missing prisoner and second-in-command at the same time. He's under all sorts of pressure from the higher-ups and his workload has almost doubled. We're all feeling the wrath of it?"

_A few weeks ago_, Lily thought, _around the same time as Isabelle_. Could there be a connection there? "How do you know he deserted?"

"Well…," he began but he suddenly stopped, squinting at her as if realising something for the first time. "Why do you care?"

Lily froze, panicking. "I…"

Suddenly she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Christian popped his head around, staring Oskar up and down.

"Christian?" She asked, confused.

"Can I talk to you outside?" he asked.

Happy to leave the room, Lily got up and followed him out. He pulled her down the hallway.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. "Are you crazy?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he blurted out. "I was watching from the bushes and that Nazi arrived in a foul mood. I was just worried."

"I'm fine," she told him. "I can take care of myself."

"Okay, I'm sorry," he apologised, looking embarrassed. "Any new information?"

Looking around her to make sure the coast was clear, she leaned in closer. "The Unit Leader's second-in-command disappeared around the same time as Isabelle."

"Really?" Christian asked, his eyes opening wider. "Do you think they could be related?"

"Well it would be quite a coincidence if they're not," Lily reasoned. She began to wave Christian towards the front door. "I'll see what else I can find out. You have to get out of here!"

…………………..

She walked back into the room. Oskar stood near to the door, stroking his chin in thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked nervously.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking deeply at her.

"What?" she giggled. "You know who I am?"

"Who are you really?" he demanded. "I was listening at the door. Why would you need to find out information?"

"I…," she stammered.

"You're a spy, aren't you?" he asked bluntly.

"Don't be silly," she tried to brush off the suggestion. "Me? A Spy? Don't make me laugh, Oskar."

"No, I'm not being silly. It all makes perfect sense now," he said, as though all of the clues were coming together in his head. "The fact that you randomly showed up one day, this girl who speaks perfect German, asking all of these questions."

"Oskar…," her heart thumped, her face paling in terror.

He looked at her, his face breaking into a big smile. "Lily, don't worry. I couldn't care less."

"What?" she gasped.

"I don't care enough about this war to care," he repeated, sitting down and calmly sipping his drink.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, collapsing on the sofa next to him. "I don't understand."

"I'm saying it makes no difference to me why you're here. I don't care," he replied, smiling at her.

"You mean you're not going to…," she began.

"No," he laughed. "You're secret's safe with me."

She breathed deeply. She couldn't believe this.

………………………………..

_**November 16**__**th**__**, 1944**_

"_Bill, wake up are you alright?" Lily said, concerned. "What happened?"_

"It's nothin'," he smiled. "I just had an accident on a motorcycle is all."

"You poor thing," she cooed. "Come closer. Let me take a look at that for you."

Bill woke up with a start. Disorientated, he scanned the room, remembering he was still in the damn hospital. Rubbing his eyes, he thought of Lily. Man, he had to stop having these dreams. They were killing him.

"Pills," a gruff-voiced nurse's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and shuddered, she looked just as gruff. She thrust two pills in his direction, which he swallowed on cue. She moved on. As he watched her go, he couldn't help thinking that he wished he had a nurse that looked more like Lily instead of the ones on offer here. The nurses here were about as feminine as he was. It was heartbreaking. What's more, he hated sitting around doing nothing while the rest of Easy were still out there fighting. Plus, all of this free time gave him free range for his wild theories on the whereabouts of Lily to roam. He couldn't help but imagine the worst of scenarios. No, he had to get out of here. Sliding over to the edge of the bed, he tried to stand. Pain shot up his leg and he collapsed back onto the bed. Okay, so he couldn't leave yet. But soon. He'd go crazy if he stayed here.

……………………………………..

_**November 20**__**th**__**, 1944**_

"I still don't trust him," Christian said as he and Lily sat in the forest, wrapped up in coats to fight the cold. "No Nazi I've heard about would be indifferent to discovering a spy in their midst. They drum loyalty into them during training."

"Well, he genuinely doesn't care," she replied. "I'm fairly good at reading people, Christian. I can tell."

Christian absent-mindedly carved shapes into the dirt with a stick, looking down. "I don't know. It still seems dangerous to me. "

"It's not," she replied. "If anything he's on our side. He asked me what I knew."

"You told him?" He asked, shocked.

"Not everything, of course," she told him. "But I glossed over the Isabelle issue. He even gave me some information of his own."

"Really?" he asked. "Although from what I hear it's not going to matter too long."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I've heard that…," he looked up at her. "That the Americans will be here soon."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "How do you know that?"

"I've heard rumours around the Resistance HQ. The Germans might be gone from here soon," he said, offering her a smile.

She frowned. She didn't know if this was good news or not.

"That's a good thing, by the way," he said, digging her lightly in the ribs.

"I know but why now," she frowned. "If the Nazis take off then we might never find out where Isabelle is."

"Don't worry about that now," Christian reassured her. "When the Nazis go Isabelle will feel safe enough to come to us if she's still alive."

"No," Lily sighed, looking down. "If I don't find out what happened to her then there was no point in me coming here at all."

"Yes there is," he teased. "You met your boyfriend."

"What?" she asked, confused, then realising what he meant. She sighed. "Christian, Oskar isn't my boyfriend. Stop saying that!"

_The Americans are coming_, she repeated to herself. It made her think of Bill.

…………………………….

_**November 23**__**rd**__**, 1944**_

Lily sat anxiously at the brothel, alone once again with all of the girls upstairs. She hadn't seen Oskar in days. He hadn't come at all and neither had the Unit Leader. Needless to say, Aurélie was just as on edge as she was, and everyone was feeling the wrath of her bad mood. Eventually, 1 a.m rolled around and Lulu asked Lily to lock the doors. Lily walked out onto the porch first, to get some air and have a desperate cigarette. She looked out into the forest as she smoked, her mind churning away.

"Pssst," a noise came from the bushes. She moved closer as it sounded again. "Pssst."

"Is someone there?" she whispered.

Suddenly, a hand reach out and grabbed her down to the bushes. Disorientated, she looked up to see Oskar, dishevelled-looking. "Oskar? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"We're leaving," he whispered.

"What?" she asked, her heart sinking. Christian was right.

"Tomorrow," he replied back hurriedly. "No one will tell me why, but all I know is it's urgent."

"I have a fair idea why," she whispered.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," he whispered, looking down. "and to wish you luck with your work here."

"Thank you," she replied. She couldn't believe how upset she felt, how attached she'd become to Oskar.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "I wish I could have done more to help you, but here, this is all I can do. This key is for the room on the top floor, second door to the left. They've been burning or packing-up most of the files, but I managed to steal a few and hid them there for you. Just be careful when you go to the Nazi HQ. Here's the address."

"She looked at the notepaper he handed her. "Wait, there are two addresses on here."

"Yes," he smiled sheepishly. "The second one is mine. If you make it through this war, look me up if you're ever in Germany again."

She blushed. "I might just take you up on that one day."

He smiled, but then his face turned serious. "Lily, be careful. Just because there are no Nazis in sight doesn't mean they've disappeared."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean just watch yourself," he warned. "Don't assume they've all gone and that you're safe."

She pondered this uneasily. "Okay."

"I'd better go," he said. "I have to get back to my barracks."

"Okay," she repeated.

"Can I do something first?" he asked.

"What?"

He leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled back, smiling shyly at her. "I just didn't want to leave without doing that."

…………………………..

_**December 10**__**th**__**, 1944- Mourmelon-le-Grande**_

"Hey fellas," a freshly-returned Bill greeted the men in the barracks enthusiastically, walking in with a slight limp to the cheers of the other men.

"Wild Bill!" Toye greeted him enthusiastically. "Didn't think we'd see you for a while yet!"

"Yeah well you know me," he joked. "Made of stone."

"Good to see ya, buddy," Malarkey patted him on the back.

"How've things been?" he asked them. "I miss anything?"

"The New Lieutenant. Lieutenant Dike," said Tab.

"Useless Son of a Bitch he is," Malarkey tutted.

"All the fellas have been on edge," Toye whispered in Bill's ear. "What with the new Lieutenant and having nothing to do here in Mourmelon."

"That would drive anyone nuts," Bill nodded, tossing his bag down. "Anyway, I'm going to look for Winters. I'll catch up with you fellas later."

Bill walked slowly over to Battalion HQ, his leg still stinging slightly with every step. He felt for the guys here, but he was still glad to be there. Anywhere had to be better than that hospital. Still, he wished he could do something to help. Walking down the street, he walked past a phone box. Stopping, he held onto the handle for a minute to rest his leg for a second. Something inside the booth caught his eye. A little white card stuck above the phone. Opening the door, he retrieved it, squinting down to read it. It said "Lulu's" in swirly, red writing, with a line of French written underneath, which he didn't understand, but the small picture of the naked female silhouette was self-explanatory. There was an address and a phone number. _Hmmm, _he thought, _maybe that was just what the boys needed_. Putting the card into his top pocket, he carried on down the road to Batallion HQ, whistling as he walked.


	11. Chapter 11 Is this real?

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 11

**Note- So Easy have finally caught up with her. Thanks for sticking around for me to get to this part (only 11 chapters later, not too long. Haha!). Thanks for the reviews, I love getting feedback. So thanks to LindsayK, Bobadoo, loveonspeeddial, brokenangel1753, WETSU, Attonlover and Bunnychan Moody, javelinbabe73, wild-in-spirit and Poe-TheRavenOfNevermore for the reviews and thanks to everyone else who has been reading along. Much appreciated. **

……………………

_**December 8**__**th**__**, 1944**_

Yawning, Lily made her way down to the kitchen. She stopped momentarily outside Aurélie's room, hearing a noise coming inside. Quietly, she held onto the door frame, putting her ear up to the door. Aurélie was crying quietly inside. However much of a pest she was, Lily's heart went out to her. She hadn't been out much since the Germans had left town several day earlier. As it turned out, to everyone's surprise, Aurélie had had genuine feelings for the German Unit Leader (a surprise because none of them could have guessed that she was even possible of having feelings!). Lily couldn't just leave her sobbing in there, so she gently pushed open the door and went inside. The girl lay along her bed, her head buried in her pillow as she sobbed. She looked up, hearing Lily come in, and looked at her in disgust.

"What do _you_ want?" she spat out, turning round to face the wall and giving her back to the door.

"I just wondered if you were okay," Lily said, tentatively taking a few more steps inside. Aurélie didn't respond. Lily continued. "Come on, Aurélie. It's not all bad. The ones here last night were really handsome."

Aurélie turned round to look at Lily, outraged. "I won't touch a filthy American. Ever."

Lily looked at her, confused. "But…but they're here fighting for freedom. For _your_ freedom. Don't forget, Aurélie, the Nazis are the enemies here. They started all of this."

"He wasn't," she insisted. "I won't forget all about him by letting an American roll about on top of me.

"Well…that's sort of your job."

"You don't understand how I feel," Aurélie exploded. "How _could_ you understand? I loved him, and if he was such a bad man as you say then…frankly…Heil Hitler!"

Lily opened her eyes in shock. How could someone be brainwashed so quickly. She seethed with anger, clenching her fists. "You're a fool, Aurélie. You don't know what you're talking about. Besides, do you even think he felt the same about you? He wore a wedding ring for goodness sake!"

Aurélie rolled back round to face the wall. "Get out of my room."

………………………

Annoyed, Lily got up and left. There were nothing she could say to convince her. She continued down to the kitchen, where she set about making breakfast. She took the box of oats out of the cupboard, when she heard a slight tapping on the window. She knew it was Christian. Setting down the box, she opened the back door to find him sitting down on the back porch, waiting for her. She sat down tensely, taking her cigarettes from her pocket.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as she fumbled with the lighter. She couldn't do it. He took it from her and gently lit her cigarette. "You seem a little on edge."

"It's nothing…Aurélie's just an idiot," she said dismissively.

"Tell me something I don't know," he joked. "How are you?"

She sat up straight, looking him square in the eye. "You know how I am, Christian. I'm still itching to get going."

He sighed, looking away.

"Come on, Christian," she moaned, pressing the issue. "I'm dying to get to the Nazi HQ and find the files Oskar left us. We have this lead and we're not doing anything about it. I've decided I'm going tomorrow."

"No!" he insisted. "You can't go alone."

"Then come with me," she pleaded.

"I will," he nodded. "Let's just wait until the Americans have been here a bit longer and we can be sure there are no more Nazis lurking about. Remember what your friend Oliver said, after all."

"Oskar," she corrected him, rolling her eyes. She knew he knew his name, he was just trying to bring Oskar down. "Besides, he said the Nazis would never be totally gone, which makes me think there are still Nazi scouts around., so we'll be in no more danger now than in a week or two."

"Just a few days, Lily. That's all I'm asking," he implored her. "We _will_ go, I promise."

"Fine," she sighed, giving in. "Why are you here then today, Christian? We had no new information to discuss."

"No reason. Maybe I just wanted to say hi," he said, adding a smile. "Besides, I _am_ the milkman. I brought the milk."

"But Christian," she pointed out jokingly. "You don't have any milk with you."

He looked about him, sighing. "Shit. I forgot the milk."

She burst out laughing. "You're the worst milkman ever. Your job involves _one_ thing, bringing the milk."

He laughed, poking her lightly in the ribs. "Well then I guess you'll just have to settle for me coming to see you…because you're in such a good mood."

"Oh yes," she said sarcastically, laughing. "I'm a regular ray of sunshine today."

They smiled at each other. She patted him on the arm. "Well, you should get out of here. The girls will be up soon and demanding their breakfast."

"Wait, before you go," he said, reaching behind him and producing a little piece of mistletoe. "I understand this is quite a tradition in your country."

She blushed, standing up. "It is, but it's only the 8th of December. Come back to me nearer to Christmas…if I'm still here, that is."

…………….

Flushed, she walked back into the kitchen, where the girls sat around the table looking at her eagerly.

"Where have you been?" Sylvie asked.

"I was…just getting the milk from Christian," she said, thinking fast.

"But Lily," Odette teased. "You're not carrying any milk."

"But you were with Christian," Mathilde smiled. "I suppose that explains why you look so flushed."

"Surely you haven't forgotten Oskar so soon," Barbara smiled, sticking out her tongue jokingly at her.

"Girls," Lily sighed, smiling. "You _have_ to stop speculating about my love life!"

"But it's so much fun!"

"Yes, it really is so much fun. Don't spoil our fun," Sylvie joked, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

………………………..

_**December 11**__**th**__**, 1944**_

Whistling to himself, Bill, sauntered into the barracks, where some of the Easy men were getting ready for the night ahead, a much-anticipated night off from tedious army drill exercises. Bill had promised them all a _surprise_ for the evening.

"Hey fellas," he said, walking over to his bunk, where he reached in his pack for his cologne bottle. He put on a dash of it.

"Hey Bill, could I borrow some of that?" Malarkey asked. "Anything to make me more appealing to the ladies. There will be ladies, right?"

"Like it'd help ya, Malark," Bill joked, handing him the bottle. "And yes, there _will_ be ladies."

"Give us a clue, Bill," Perco asked, looking into the mirror as he combed his hair.

"Yeah, tell us anything," Babe added.

Reaching into his top pocket, Bill pulled out the card and showed it to them. Looking at the silhouette, they all whooped and cheered.

"What is this place, Bill?" Luz asked.

Bill shrugged. "I'm a talented fella, as you know, but my talents don't extend to speaking French. I figure it's one of those exotic dance clubs."

As the men discussed this prospect excitedly, Joe Toye came over and sat next to Bill on his bed, leaning down to tie his shoelaces. "So, you lookin' for a girl tonight, Bill?"

"Nah, it wasn't really about me," Bill shook his head. "I just thought these guys could do with a little action, to keep them on track, y'know?"

"Yeah, but you could still look for some fun for yourself, too," Joe reasoned.

"Nah, my leg's still giving me enough grief," he joked.

"You still think about her, don't you?" Joe blurted out, sighing.

"What? No…," Bill said defensively, then stopped. "Well so what if I do? She was hot stuff. You don't just forget that."

Joe put his head in his hands, sighing. "Bill, buddy, you gotta get over her. It's not gonna happen. Never will."

"You think I don't know that?" Bill said, looking way.

Joe patted his back supportively. "Plenty more fish in the sea, huh? Come on, maybe you should look for a girl tonight. It might help you move on."

"Maybe I will then. Maybe I will," Bill nodded, knowing full well that he wouldn't.

…………………….

_**That Night**_

Lily sat behind her desk, buffing her nails. She could hear American soldiers milling around upstairs, talking to the girls, laughing and chinking their glasses. She was sitting alone in the front parlour. Grateful as she was that business had picked up again with the arrival of the Americans (It had gotten quiet after the Germans left, deathly quiet), she was lonely on her own in the parlour. She couldn't talk to the Americans as most didn't speak French and she couldn't speak to them in English. Besides, they had no information of use to her as Oskar had and it made her feel like her time was being wasted here. Getting up to stretch her legs, she sauntered over to the side window, leaning her head against the glass as she watched the snow fall softly outside. The nights were cold here now and it made her think of Bill, keeping her warm on those cold nights in Aldbourne. She was distracted from her thoughts by the ringing of the doorbell and walked back towards her desk.

"Hello boys, welcome to Lulu's," she heard Lulu greet the new arrivals in English. "My name is Lulu. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"With all respect, ma'am," one soldier blurted out. "We're looking for the girls."

"But of course," Lulu chuckled. "They are upstairs. You can go up now and meet them if you like."

Lily heard the sounds of cheering soldiers as they began their descent up the stairs.

"However," Lulu cut in. "If one of you could make your way through to the parlour there to make payment."

"Payment?" one of the soldiers repeated. "What kind of place is this again? Is this a brothel?"

"Must be," Another cut in.

"Who cares!" One shouted out. "We've come this far."

_Still won't stop them_, Lily chuckled to herself as she turned her back to the door and her attention to the potted plant on a shelf that needed some water.

"Alright fellas, alright," a muffled voice chuckled. "Just give me your money and get on upstairs. I'll take care of the payment."

Lily began to hum to herself as she held the plant in one hand, watering it. She heard someone enter the parlour, presumably the soldier coming in to pay. Turning round, plant pot still in hand, she turned around to greet him…to find Bill staring back at her. Frozen to the spot, all the hairs on her arms stood up on end. Her hand released the plant pot, which dropped to the ground, exploding over the ground with an almighty crash.

"Lily?" he asked simply, his eyes agape.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't find any words. She just stared at him.

"Lily it's you…I can't believe this," he said, his face breaking into a huge smile. "This is fucking unbelievable!"

Suddenly, Sylvie, Barbara and Lulu ran in, alerted by the sound of the breaking plant pot.

"Lily, what happened?" Lulu asked.

Lily stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Bill.

Bill, shocked but visibly ecstatic, walked slowly over to her and gently tried to touch her face. This snapped her back to reality. She knew there was no way the girls could know that Bill knew her. Acting on her first instinct, she roughly began to push him towards the hallway.

"Sir, you're _very_ drunk!" she shouted at him in French as she pushed him, loud enough for the girls to hear.

"What the hell? What are you doing Lily?" he asked, too shocked to fight back as she moved him backwards.

"Sir! I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she continued shouting in French, pushing him from the hallway towards the front door.

"Lily, stop it! Talk to me," he said, trying to fight back but his leg still ached and her panic was instilling an unrivalled power in her.

"Sir, please go now. You may come back another night when you've sobered up," she finished in French after had she manoeuvred him to the open door. She leaned forward quickly and whispered in his ear in English. "Meet me behind the stone wall gate at the bottom of the garden. Stay hidden!"

Shutting the door roughly behind him, she began to convulse from the shock of seeing him. Gasping for breath and shaking, she leaned against the door as she slowly slid down it towards the floor. A minute or so later, she managed to calm herself down…and noticed the girls staring at her from the stairs, including Aurélie, who'd come down in the noise of the commotion to see what was happening.

"Are…are you alright?" Sylvie asked, concerned.

Lily thought fast as she stood up. "I…I'm fine. It's just these Americans. They make me feel a little edgy when they've been drinking."

"Who was he?" Aurélie asked, looking at Lily suspiciously. "He seemed to know you, calling you Lily and such. He looked surprised to see you."

"He's been here before," she lied. "Not drunk like that though."

"He didn't look drunk to me," Aurélie challenged.

"Give the girl peace, Aurélie!" Lulu scolded, pulling Lily towards the kitchen and shutting the door. "Let's get you some water."

"Better make that something stronger, Lulu," Lily said, trying to control her shaking. What a shock to the system.

Lulu turned off the tap, reaching instead for brandy bottle on the shelf above. She poured some into a glass and handed it to Lily, who downed it in one. "Who was that, Lily?"

"A soldier I had a fling with back in England," she said, taking the bottle from Lulu's hand as she attempted to pour her another and taking a swig. "I can't believe he's here!"

"Lulu shook her head. "Lily this isn't good. What a liability this is for you here!"

"I know that!" Lily sighed, swigging another.

"You need to make sure he's not going to say anything!"

"I will, I will," Lily reassured her. "I told him to meet me behind the front gate. I'll tell him."

"Okay," Lulu said, taking the bottle from her. "What you're going to do is go back into that hallway, tell the girls you're going to lie down, go up to your room and down that drainpipe."

"Down the drainpipe?" Lily repeated.

"Yes, Lily. I know you've done it before to meet Christian and Oskar. I'm not an idiot," Lulu looked at her sternly.

"Sorry," Lily said. Apparently she wasn't as sneaky as she thought.

"Take care of it Lily," Lulu warned as Lily made her way back into the hallway.

………………….

In her bedroom upstairs, Lily sat on her bed for a second, trying to work up the courage to tell Bill, who she'd thought about every day since they parted ways, to stay away from her. Standing up, she opened her window and, before she climbed out, she ran back to her bureau and put on a bit of powder and lipstick. She still liked him, after all. Shimmying down the drainpipe as she had several times before, she landed on the ground, the powdery snow disguising the noise beneath her feet. Discreetly as possible and sticking to the shadows, she made her way to the bottom of the garden and behind the stone wall gate, where she found Bill, crouching down as he anxiously puffed on a cigarette. He looked up, hearing her footsteps.

"Is this for real?" he asked, standing up to face her.

"What are you doing here Bill?" she asked.

"We've been posted here," he said, then his eyes flaring. "Never mind that though! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Keep your voice down!" she said, moving closer to him as she sadly looked him square in the eye. "Listen to me, Bill. You have to go away, pretend you never saw me and _never_ come back here. Never again, do you hear me?"

"What?" he asked, his face screwing up with confusion. "Lily what the hell are you talking about? I'm so confused."

"Bill! Just promise me, okay?" she rushed, looking around panicked as she heard voices coming from somewhere in the distance.

"No! I won't promise that!" he shot back. "What are you doing here, Lily?"

"I can't tell you, Bill," she said, offering him an apologetic glance. "Bill, please. You have to go now."

"Stop saying that! You look so scared, it's scaring me," he said, reaching for her arms. "I'm not leaving until you give me an explanation for all this. You owe me that!"

"I owe you?" she echoed, pulling her arms back. "Bill, we spent a few nights rolling around under the stars. We weren't betrothed!"

She regretted saying this instantly. It wasn't how she felt.

"Oh," Bill said, stepping back as though she'd just slapped him in the face.

"I didn't mean that," she pleaded. "I didn't mean that at all. I thought about you…"

"I thought about you," he said. "Every day!"

"You did?" she asked, blushing.

"Oh yes," he said, smiling cheekily at her. "It's been driving me fuckin' crazy!"

She beamed at him.

"That's why I'm not going anywhere," he said firmly. "Not without an explanation."

"Bill, I want to tell you everything," she stressed. "I really do but…."

He reached for her hand. "It's okay. Lily you can tell me anything. It'll stay between us, I promise. Let me help you."

She opened her mouth to speak, but panicked as she heard voices nearby again. "Bill, please. It'll be safer for you if you just forget about me. Just go."

"Like I said," he shook his head. "No. I'll go now, if that's what you want. But I'm comin' back here tomorrow. Right here. I don't care what you say."

"No," her eyes filled with fear.

"Sorry, but I have to," he said.

Sighing, she relented. "Fine. Meet me here at noon."

She turned to leave, but stopped herself. What was she doing. It was _Bill,_ for God's sake! She turned around to face him again.

"Bill…," she said simply, unsure of what she was about to do. Stepping forward, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "I really missed you."

They stayed like that, in that hug, until one of them finally found the willpower to let go.


	12. Chapter 12 Truth is better out than in

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 12

NOTE- Sooooooorrrrrry it's taken me _so_ long to update. Uni has started up again now so I've actually had to start studying again, haha. I'll try and update more regularly from now on : ) Also, as for the part in the chapter where Nix and Bill are chatting. I'm not sure Bill and Nix were friendly enough that they'd chat freely like this but I decided to go with it anyway, haha. I was going to use Winters here instead but I forgot he was in Paris.

………………………………………….

_**December 12**__**th**__**, 1944**_

After a sleepless night of tossing, turning and, above all else, wondering, Lily awoke early to prepare a breakfast for the girls, hoping to get it out of the way and get back to the peace of her room before anyone came to the kitchen wanting to talk about the night before. As it happened, that wasn't meant to be, as Lulu sat waiting for her as she went in. She was _not_ happy at what Lily had to tell her.

"You should have sorted this out last night!" Lulu scolded her. "You can't be seen to be fraternising with the Americans outside of the brothel, especially not if we want to have a chance of finding Isabelle!"

"Lulu," Lily sighed, putting a pot of jam on the table. "I'm not an idiot, I'll keep it discreet and short. I just…owe it to him to explain."

"You owe him nothing," Lulu spat out.

"You don't understand," she sighed, slicing a baguette loaf. "He was so shaken when he saw me last night. I didn't like seeing him like that. It made me feel…"

"You still carry a torch for this man?" Lulu eyed her up and down.

Lily opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Instead she just kept cutting slices of bread.

"Foolish girl to get your hopes up, cherie," Lulu tutted, looking down disappointedly. "Do you _really_ think he still feels the same? He did come to a _brothel_, after all."

Lily stopped, knife poised in mid-air. She hadn't considered that, in all of her excitement at seeing him. Shaking her head, she tried to push it to the back of her mind. "It won't be a problem. I'll take care of it."

"Alright, Cherie. We all make mistakes," Lulu said, her voice softening as she stood up and placed a comforting arm on Lily's shoulder. "Be as discreet as you can as the girls will be out on their walk. I'll go with them to try and keep them as far away from this area as possible."

Lily nodded obediently, setting down plates as the girls filtered into the kitchen, famished as usual after a busy night. After everything was set, she made her way towards the door.

"Not eating with us?" Mathilde asked, smearing jam over a slice of bread feverishly.

"Not today," Lily shook her head. "I think I'll just go and take a bath."

Nodding at Lulu's warning glances, she turned on her heel and left.

…………………………………..

Bill sat in the Mess Hall, eating breakfast with the other soldiers. Well, _they_ were eating, he was simply pushing the food around his plate, unable to eat. He zoned in and out between the table conversation, their inane chatter about the night before in the brothel, and his own thoughts about Lily.

"I'm tellin' ya fellas, she was the prettiest girl I ever seen in my whole life. It could be love," Malarkey said, clapping his hand dramatically over his heart.

"Which one was she?" Liebgott asked, frowning. "The redhead?"

"No, she was the one with really big…," He corrected him, making gestures towards his chest. "What an Angel."

"What was her name?" Luz asked doubtfully.

"Let's see…Sarah…Selena…Sylvia…yeah, Sylvia. That was it," Malarkey nodded. "Well, if it wasn't Sylvia then it was something that sounded like it."

"Yeah, Malark. _Must've been love_," Luz said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"What's eatin' you, Bill?" Perco asked. "You're not eatin'."

"Not hungry," he replied simply.

"Can I have it?" Perco asked cheekily, chancing his arm.

To everyone's surprise, Bill simply pushed the plate across the table to Perco. "Take it."

"You crazy Bill?" Skip Muck asked, amused.

"Crazy or not, I'll still take it," Perco said, ecstatically reaching for the food.

"I'm headin' back to Barracks," Bill said, leaving the table.

"Hey, Buddy," Joe said, stopping him at the door. "Where'd you end up last night? We couldn't find ya."

"I just didn't like it there," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as though it was no big deal.

"What's wrong with you?" Toye asked, sensing something was amiss with his buddy.

"Nothin' Joe," he sighed, carrying on. "I'll see ya later."

Bill walked along to barracks, sighing as the snow began to fall again. Feeling a throb in his leg, he sat down on a low nearby stone fence. He didn't hear Captain Nixon walking along.

"Morning Bill,"

Bill looked up at who it was, and stood up to salute the captain. "Morning, Sir. I though you were headed to Aldbourne?"

"Meant to be," Nix sighed. "Delayed until tomorrow because of this weather."

"Pity, Sir," Bill smiled sympathetically. "This isn't exactly the most exciting place in the world right here."

"You said it," Nix agreed, chuckling. He noticed Bill's furrowed brow. "You okay?"

"I've just…been thinking," he said.

"Uh oh," Nix joked.

Bill smirked, then his face grew serious again. "I'm going to meet this girl later…and she's going to tell me something and I'm a bit worried about what that something might be. I wonder if it would be better to not know."

"Didn't get anyone pregnant did you Bill?" Nix said, half-joking.

"No, Sir. Jesus, I hope not," Bill said, smirking at the Captain.

"Well," Nix said, folding his arms and sensing Bill was looking for a serious answer. "Sure you could stay in the dark, Bill. But, whatever it is, you'd spend the rest of your life wondering."

…………………………….

Lily sat in front of her bureau, brushing her hair. She was getting ready to meet Bill and also waiting for the girls to leave for their walk. Setting down her hairbrush, she reached for the pale pink lipstick and unscrewed the cap. Suddenly she stopped, putting the tube down on the bureau. _What's the point_, she questioned. Lulu had a point, _why_ would he come to a brothel if he still cared about her. Sure, he said he'd missed her, but it obviously wasn't enough. However, she couldn't really blame him. It had only been a fling in Aldbourne. Suddenly a knock on her door, interrupted her thoughts. Hurrying to throw a blanket over her radio equipment, she called for them to enter. Sylvie came in, dressed in her winter coat and gloves. She looked at the lipstick tube lying on the bureau.

"Not coming with us?" she asked.

"I'm not really feeling up to it," Lily sighed.

"Ok then…you should wear the pink," Sylvie smiled knowingly, pointing to the lipstick.

"What?" she asked, feeling uneasy with the situation.

"When you meet your soldier," Sylvie said, sitting down on the bed and crossing her legs.

"What?" Lily's eyes bulged open. "I…"

Sylvie held up her hands reassuringly. "Lily, I won't say anything. However, I'm not an idiot. I saw the way you both looked at each other. "

"Sylvie, look…" Lily said, panicked.

"Lily, I've said I won't say anything. Don't worry. Just answer me one thing, for my own silly romantic pleasure. Is he your soldier. The one who went away to fight?"

Lily couldn't stop her head from nodding.

Sylvie clapped her hands together in delight, her cheeks blushing. "Oh, I love to see lovers reunited. I won't ask how you know him."

"Do you…do you think everybody knows?" she asked tentatively.

"No," Sylvie shook her head firmly. "None of the other girls have a clue. I like to think I'm more of a detective than them. I think Aurélie suspects foul play, but then, that girl has always suspected you of foul play since you arrived here."

"I can explain," Lily said quietly, her head busily searching for an acceptable lie.

"Hush. You don't have to explain anything to me," Sylvie smiled meekly. "Not to sound like a soppy idiot. I was just happy to see some true happiness in your eyes. If even just for a moment."

"Thank you," Lily said sincerely. "You promise you wont…"

"I won't say a word," she cut in, guessing what Lily was going to say. She stood up and walked over to the door. "Now wear the pink."

………………………………………….

Certain that the house was empty and the girls were well into their walk with Lulu, Lily pulled her coat on. She looked up at the wall clock. 12.15. Damn, she was running late. Closing the door behind her, she rushed down to the gate, stopping just before going round to the other side to smooth her hair out. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to walk around the corner. There he was. Bill. Hands in his pockets and leaning his forehead against the wall with closed eyes.

"Bill?"

Opening his eyes, he looked over at her. "…hi."

Her legs deciding her actions, she walked over to him, pulling him into an embrace. He was freezing.

"Why are you so cold?" she asked.

"I've been here for about an hour," he admitted.

"Why did you come here so early in this weather?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"I wasn't sure I remembered how to find this place again,"

"Well, luckily you did," she smiled, rubbing his hands to try and warm him up. "Come on. Come inside. Everyone's out and you could use a hot drink."

In silence, she led him up the path, round the back and in through the kitchen door. Feeling the kettle on the stove was still warm, she poured him a coffee. Gratefully he clasped the cup, trying to heat himself up.

"It's good to see you again," she found herself smiling fondly at him.

"You too," he smiled, the heat bringing back some of the old Guarnere charm. "It was just what I needed."

A silence followed.

Bill shifted in his chair, coughing and trying to keep the atmosphere light as he expressed what had been playing on his mind all night long. He couldn't control his mouth as he opened it, throwing all notion of tact out of the window. "So…tell me you haven't broken my heart by becoming a prostitute."

Her mouth dropped open. "Bill! You think I'm a prostitute?!"

"Well…," he said sadly, motioning around him to highlight that they _were_ in a brothel. "I kinda put two and two together."

"Well maybe you're not that smart," she said, offended. "I'm not a prostitute! I don't sleep with anyone here!"

Bill put a hand over his heart and made a whooping noise. "That's a relief. Let me tell you!"

Lily couldn't understand his reaction. Folding her arms on the table, she leaned across to look him sternly in the eye. "Let me get this straight. It's not okay for me to _be_ a prostitute but it's okay for _you_ to sleep with them."

"Whoa, wait. What?" He asked, confused. "Where's that coming from. When did I sleep with a prostitute?"

"Well, you haven't. As far as I know, anyway. But you _did_ come to a brothel…so I can only assume you had the intention of doing so," she said, suddenly unable to look him in the eye.

He shook his index finger. "No, no, no. Wait. You got this all wrong."

"Do I?" she challenged. "You just come to brothels for the atmosphere or the free drinks? Look, Bill. It's alright. You don't owe me anything, so if you came here last night to get your leg over then…"

"But I didn't," he shot back. "I came here, yes. But _I_ didn't want to sleep with anyone. Some of the fellas seemed like they could use a little…light relief...and I found a business card for this place and thought it might be a good idea to… y'know. But I didn't want to come here for that."

"Really?" she asked, feeling a whoop of relief of her own spreading it's way throughout her body.

"No," he insisted. "So…I'll ask it again. What are you doing here, Lily?"

"I'm here…working," she admitted. She wanted to reveal the truth so badly. She knew she could trust him. "I'm doing undercover work for the Special Operations Executive here along with the French Resistance, trying to find an important Politician's missing daughter who was involved in Nazi dealings."

"But there are no Nazis here," he said, confused.

"Not anymore," she corrected him. "Well, as far as we know."

"So why a brothel?"

"Men talk in a brothel," she explained, smirking slightly at him.

"I see…," he said, leaning back in his chair and whistling. "Shit, Lily! I'm impressed."

"Really?" she said, blushing.

"Are you kiddin' me?" he said. "To come to a foreign country to try and dupe the Nazis…takes guts, Lady."

"Well…," she said, pretending it was nothing special.

"So…," he said, his eyes growing wide with excitement. "You're like a spy? Are all of the girls here spies too?"

"No, just me," she explained. "That's why I acted the way I did last night, pushing you out like that. I couldn't risk them finding out who I am…who I _really_ am."

"And who do they think you are?"

"Lily Lavoie," she smiled bashfully. "A small-town French girl who has been forced to work in her aunt's brothel to make some extra money during the hard financial hardships of this war."

"Very detailed," he observed. "How long have you been here for?"

"I left Aldbourne the day after you did," she replied.

"So the whole time we were together in Aldbourne you knew what you were going to be doing?" he smiled at her, pretending to be hurt.

"Yes," she nodded firmly.

"Quite good with the old secrets, there," he laughed. "So how many people actually know who you are here?"

"The French Resistance," she replied. "Well, some people in the French Resistance. I mostly deal with two people: Lulu, who owns the brothel here, and Christian."

"Christian?" he echoed.

"Yes, he's a milkman about our age. He met me after my jump into here and he checks up on me and I relay information back to him."

"Does he now?" Bill asked, a slight wave of jealous flashing in his eyes.

"You'd like him," she reassured him. "Except…he's been lagging behind recently."

"In what way?"

"Well…there are some files in the Nazi Headquarters. The _now-vacated_ Nazi Headquarters, I should say. I befriended a Nazi and he left them there and-"

"You befriended a Nazi?" Bill asked, shooting her a look.

"Yes. No. Well, it's complicated. He was actually anti-Nazi but forced to join up. He was on our side really. He left us some files there in a locked room before the Nazis left. I keep asking Christian to come with me but he's been putting it off."

"Because maybe he knows this Nazi could be trying to fool you. Maybe he thinks it could be a trap," Bill reasoned.

"No, I don't think so. This soldier wasn't like that," she insisted.

"You sure you're that good a judge of character?" he questioned.

"Bill," she said, warningly.

"Sorry," he apologised. "I just mean…it's hard to trust people."

"I'm a good judge of character," she said, hoping she didn't sound too cocky. "In whatever language I'm speaking in. Christian is just lagging behind, and I need him to come with me because it's not safe for me to go alone."

"Well…," Bill pondered, rubbing his chin. "Maybe you don't need him."

"What do you mean?"

"What if I went with you?" he suggested.

"Be serious," she rolled her eyes.

"I _am_ serious," he insisted. "You'd better get to those files before someone else has a chance to. Besides, if you need someone to go with you, surely you're better going with a soldier than a milkman!"

"He's quite tough," she teased.

"Is he?" he rolled his eyes. "What do you say then? I got nothin' else to do today anyway."

Lily scratched her head. He did have a point. "I suppose it's not a terrible idea, as long as we're as discreet as possible."

"Being discreet is what I do best," he said confidently. "Best training the US military can give I got."

"Oh really?" she asked dryly, pointing to his uniform. "And how inconspicuous do you think you'll look wearing that?"

"Geez, I never thought of that," he blushed. "Well…"

"Do you have any other clothes?" she asked hopefully.

"A couple duplicates of this," he said, pointing to his uniform. "And my PT gear…but no way in hell am I going out in that in _this_ weather."

"Hmmm," Lily thought for a second. "Come on, let's get out of here. I know where you can get some clothes."

"Where?" he asked, following her out of the door.

"Christian is about the same size as you," she said as the walked down the path. "I'm sure he'd be able to lend you something."

"I'm sure he would," Bill said dryly.


	13. Chapter 13 Guessing games

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 13

Sorry!! I'm still uploading at a snail's pace but it's only because I've been given my class reading list for the year and it's as long as my arm. I miss summer!! Anyway, I'll still keep going with the story :D.

…………………………………

The snow began to fall heavier as Lily and Bill ambled along the back path towards Christian's cottage. Luckily for them, he lived off the beaten track in a little stone, white cottage, free from the prying eyes of nosy neighbours. After the initial excitement of their plan had died down, an uneasy silence spread over the two of them, the only noise coming from their footsteps padding into the thick snow. They didn't really know what to say to each other. She was too concerned about what effect her thumping heart could have on her mouth. She didn't dare open it. Bill was just ecstatic to be in her company again, and was content to just walk behind in, watching her hair bounce to and fro under her hat as she walked the path.

"So…," he said, finally filling the silence. "How do you know where this Christian guy lives? You go there a lot or…."

"I visit sometimes when I have information for the Resistance to know," she whispered, cautious of who might be around her. "If he comes to the house to often the girls might get suspicious."

"And does he ever…," he began.

"There it is," she interrupted him, pointing ahead to the small cottage before them. They stopped outside the door. She turned to face him. "Let me do the talking."

"I don't speak French, remember?" he joked, winking at her.

"He speaks English," she said nonchalantly as she rapped on the door sharply three times.

"Of course he does," Bill rolled his eyes.

The door sprang open and Christian appeared, a dishtowel slung over his shoulder and the smell of delicious, hot broth erupting into the cold air. He rubbed his forehead, confused as he eyed Bill suspiciously. "Lily?"

"Good Afternoon, Christian," she smiled charmingly.

"Who is this?" he replied in French.

"This is my friend from back home," she replied in English, so that Bill could understand.

"Bill Guarnere," Bill said, extending a hand to Christian, trying to be as friendly as possible, despite taking an instant dislike to this man and his handsome features.

"Christian," he replied, ignoring Bill's handshake invitation and, instead, leaning coolly against the door frame and reverting to French as he looked at Lily. "Why have you brought this man here?"

Bill put his arm back by his side, lightly shaking his head. Where he came from, to refuse a handshake was saying something. Something not good. He wouldn't offer it again.

"We have to ask you a favour," Lily smiled sweetly, insistent that this conversation would be in English. "Can we come in?"

"_Nous_?" Christian repeated dryly, standing aside to let them in.

"Yes, _we_," she repeated sternly, motioning for Bill to follow her as she made her way inside.

The three of them stood in Christian's modest sitting room, the two men standing with their arms folded as they looked each other up and down.

"Alright, so…," Lily began, desperate to break up the tension in the room.

"Why have you brought this soldier here, Lily?" Christian asked her sternly in French.

"He's a friend of mine that I met back in my home town. We just bumped into each other. How lucky," she replied in French. "Now let's speak in English, alright?"

"Fine," he said, switching and motioning to the bedroom. "Lily, can I please talk to you in the other room for a moment?"

Lily turned to Bill. "Excuse me for a moment? I'll come back with clothes for you."

"Sure," Bill replied, pretending that he wasn't phased as he watched them walk out of the room.

Shutting the door behind him, Christian whipped round to look at Lily. "Have you told him everything? Why you are here?"

"Well…," she trailed off, her eyes giving her away.

"My God, what's the matter with you Lily?" He said, throwing his hands up in despair.

"It's not a problem," she sighed, sitting down on the bed. "You sound just like Lulu. It's not a problem, though."

"Lulu!" he cried. "Does she know about this, then?"

"She doesn't know that I've told him everything," she replied, staring tentatively into his eyes. "And I'm not going to…and neither are you."

"Won't I?" he challenged, narrowing his eyes.

"No," she replied sternly, her eyes boring equally back into his.

"And why not?"

"Because I'm asked you not to," she said, appealing to his good nature.

His eyes softened and he sat down on the bed next to her. "Lily, you just don't understand. It's not…"

She slapped her hands against the quilt. "Stop saying that! You, Lulu, all of those old fogies at the Resistance Headquarters…you always say that I don't understand. I'm not a silly, little girl, Christian. He's a US soldiers…a member of the allies. Besides, he's not going to tell anyone else…not that it even matters anymore with France on the brink of liberation! I trust him with my life because…he's a good man."

Christian looked down at his feet. "So what is this favour you need then?"

She smiled enthusiastically. "I need to borrow some clothes...for Bill."

"Why does he need my clothes?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"He's coming to investigate the Nazi Headquarters with me," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh no he's not…," Christian sprang to his feet. "Lily, we talked about waiting."

She shrugged, not caring anymore. "Christian I'm sorry but I'm tired of waiting. I want to see those files so that I can find out what happened to Isabelle. I know you wanted to wait but…frankly, I want to be home by Christmas."

Grunting unhappily, he walked over to his wardrobe and began to rumble around. "I don't even know if I'd have that fits him. He's a little big."

Lily rolled her eyes as she reclined on the bed. "Yes. Yes he is _big_…but it's called muscle, Christian."

Tutting at her, he threw a pair of trousers and a heavy woollen jumper over to her. She caught them, smiled at him and bounded out of the room and back to Bill. "Here you go, put these on."

"Thanks," he said, taking them from her. "Where can I change?"

"In my bedroom, I suppose," Christian said, holding the door open for Bill.

"So what are you cooking?" Lily asked, her nose following the delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

Whilst Lily sampled Christian's culinary delights, Bill changed. He finally emerged from Christian's bedroom, holding up his arms to show off the clothes.

"Look at you," Lily's eyes lit up. "Dressed like a regular person!"

"Who woulda thought, huh?" Bill joked.

"Shall we get going then?" Lily asked, motioning towards the door.

"Lead the way, Mademoiselle," Bill charmed her, offering her his arm, only partly because he knew Christian was watching.

As they set off down the path, they heard Christian's shouts from the door as he began to sprint down the path towards them.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"I'm coming with you," he said, breathlessly.

"You are?" she repeated.

"Yes," he said. "Just let me get a jacket."

"No, Christian. Wait," she said, grabbing his arm. "You don't have to come. I know you were worried about doing this too soon. Stay here, it's alright."

"No," he shook his head firmly. "I want to come. I think it's time."

"Alright then," she said, turning to Bill, who hadn't understood their French. "Christian has decided to come along with us."

"Fantastic," Bill said, plastering a big, fake grin over his face.

……………………….

The snow falling softly around them, the threesome walked in eerie silence through the streets of Mourmelon-le-Petit, ever so slightly bustling due to the lunchtime rush. Well, as bustling as streets can get in a quiet town. Though it made her smile, Lily felt as though she was walking between two small children. To her left, she had the upset Christian, arms-folded and pouting lip. To her right she had Bill who, whilst trying to maintain an alertness, was clearly taken with the surroundings of the new town, his eyes open in wonder as he marvelled at the passing buildings.

"Hey, Lily," Bill turned to her. "Don't this place kinda remind you of…"

She silenced him by putting her finger to her lips. He couldn't give away his nationality so easily. Christian tutted loudly.

Eventually they got back to a track off the beaten and Lily signalled to him that it was okay for him to talk.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" he asked, sceptically. "Neither of you even have a map."

"The map is in my head, actually," Christian said dryly. "And yes, _I_ know where we're going."

"What were you going to say earlier, Bill?" Lily asked, shooting Christian a look.

"What? Oh. I was just gonna say that this town kinda reminds me of Aldbourne in a way," he answered, smiling.

She beamed. "I thought that too. The buildings here are a lot prettier, but the atmosphere is very similar."

"I'm sure the diet here is better too," Christian joked.

"I don't know about that. I ate pretty well there," he laughed.

"We do like our fats in England," she reasoned, chuckling.

"It is pretty here, though," Bill smiled, looking around him into the tranquil forestry around them. "I guess one good thing about havin to come over here and fight is getting to see places like this."

"Yes, now you're _finally_ here," Christian repeated dryly.

"Not in the military yourself, then?" Bill challenged back, trying to give the appearance it was a normal, friendly conversation.

Christian winced. "No."

"Wasn't there a draft here?"

"The men were called to fight, yes," he replied coolly.

"Get injured?" Bill asked, interested.

"I have a heart condition," Christian said, looking down. "I couldn't go. I was no use to them there."

Lily blinked. She hadn't known that. She _had_ wondered why he wasn't off fighting, however, but she'd never thought to ask. _Still_, she reasoned, _it's not like he doesn't do anything in this war_. "You do a lot for the Resistance, though."

"That's why," Christian said, raising his eyebrows as he looked at the ground.

Bill looked down, feeling a bit guilty for bringing it up. "Just as well, really. The life of soldier's no picnic."

"Bill," Lily said, trying to change the subject. "You won't get into trouble from your superiors for coming to the Nazi HQ on your own will you?"

"I won't say anything," he reassured her. "Besides, they'll find and sweep this place themselves within a few days anyway."

"Okay," she said, reassured.

"There it is," Christian stopped suddenly, pointing into the near distance.

The three of them looked to the large, stone building that lay before them. Impressive architecture.

"What did this used to be before they took it over?" Lily asked, marvelling at the grandeur of it.

"A courthouse," he said, clucking his tongue. "No need for that really…not when they came, anyway."

"Come on," Lily said, speeding up the pace as a she charged towards it.

"Go round the back!" Bill and Christian called after her in unison.

…………………..

It seemed colder inside than it did in wintry blizzard outside. Perhaps it was the chilling knowledge that the Nazis had been here not long ago.

"I'll tell you what," Lily said, making her way towards the stairs. "Aside from the odd Nazi flag and picture of the Fuhrer…you might not even know they'd ever been here."

"Why the rush?" Christian asked, following her to the stairs. "Shouldn't we look around the whole place?"

Lily looked over at Bill. "No. We only came here for one thing. Everything is information that the military should have…and the Americans will find it when they get here."

Christian opened his mouth to protest by, rethinking things, simply followed suit up the stairs. "How do you even know where you're going?"

"Top floor, second door to the left," she smiled knowingly. She took out the key Oskar had given her, preparing to put into the lock when she realised the door was already open. "It's already open."

Tentatively, she pushed the door open, revealing a bar room except for two filing cabinets.

"Strange," Christian said, suspiciously. "Why would he give you a key? Maybe someone has been here first and broken the lock."

"Nope, it's not broken," Bill said, bending down to examine the lock.

Lily made her way over to the filing cabinets and began opening all the drawers, finding them all bare. All the files they'd once contained were gone, taken by the Nazis themselves probably. She sighed, frustrated. "I don't understand this."

"Hey, look at this," Bill said, motioning for them to come over. He pointed to the small bottom drawer of the second filing cabinet. It had a tiny keyhole. "Think your key might fit in that?"

Heart thumping, Lily put the key to the luck. To her delight, it fit perfectly and she turned it, opening it. The lid fell down and she bent down, eager to see what was inside. She pulled out a folder of files and looked up at the boys, beaming. She began to open it.

"Maybe we should these back at mine," Christian said, looking around uneasily, distrustfully.

"Okay," Lily said. She began to lock the drawer again when we realised there was something else in there. She put her hand in and pulled out a small wooden box. Eyeing it suspiciously, she opened it…and smiled. It was a very small paint set, with two wooden-handled brushes and about 10 small pots of paint. A little note lay on top of it. _"You should try painting. This is my favourite set. Perhaps you can return it if you're ever near Dusseldorf"_

"What the hell's that?" Bill asked, furrowing his brow.

"A paint set," she blushed as Christian picked up the note.

"What does this say?" Christian asked, not understanding the German.

"You should try painting. This is my favourite paint set. Perhaps you can return it if you're ever near Dusseldorf," she read aloud.

Bill and Christian grunted in unison.

"This Oskar sounds like a piece of work," Bill said, rolling his eyes.

"You're right about that," Christian agreed with Bill for the first time since they'd met that morning. "He was."

Lily chuckled as she stood up and put everything in her satchel. "You never actually met him, Christian."

"I could still tell," he retorted as they made their way out of the building.

…………………………..

Half an hour later, Christian and Lily sat in his sitting room, poring over the files whilst Bill changed back into his uniform in the next room.

"Look at this," she leaned forward to show him. "This has all the details of the interrogation Isabelle went through. My gosh, some of the things they did to her."

"Actually," Christian said, looking over at the piece of paper. "From what I've heard this is actually quite lenient torture. Strangely lenient, I'm honest."

"_This_ is lenient?" she asked shocked, her eyes being drawn to another name at the bottom of the sheet. "The interrogation was overseen by the Unit Leader's second-in-command."

"Why is that important?"

"Well, Oskar told me he was reported missing…around the same time that Isabelle "escaped"," Lily pointed out.

"Probably a deserter," Christian reasoned.

"I doubt it. Second-in-command to a Unit leader. That's a really good job, and he was on his way up. What possible reason could he have had to desert?"

"I suppose. So you think the disappearances might be connected?" He asked.

Lily shrugged, looking up to see Bill re-enter the room.

"Back to normal," Bill smiled, indicating to his uniform.

"So I see," she smiled at him, standing up and putting everything back into her satchel. "I should get back to Lulu's. I've already been gone too long. I'll pass these along to Lulu, see what she can make of them."

"Should I walk you home?" Christian asked, standing up and following them the door.

"It's okay, I'll walk her," Bill asserted. "It's on my way anyway."

"Alright," he replied, tensely.

Bill stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"And you," Christian replied, warily shaking his hand.

Before they left, Lily turned back round to Christian, addressing him in French. "You didn't tell me you had a heart condition."

"You never asked," he replied, smiling coyly at her.

…………………….

"Thank you for coming with me today," she thanked Bill as they stopped at the bottom of the gate, loitering to the left of the tall gate, out of sight.

"You've got nothing to thank me for," he shook his head. "It was nice spending time with you again…and Christian, of course."

She laughed, the happiness then giving way to a pain inside. This might be the last time she ever saw him again. "Well…I should get inside."

"Okay," he said, putting his hand out and holding her arm. "So…is this goodbye then, or can I help you with more detective work sometime?"

"Well…if it wouldn't disturb your schedule too much…and if it was discreet, of course," she blushed.

"Oh well of course," he joked.

"Maybe I could take you for a cup of coffee or something?" he asked. "I presume you tough spies drink coffee and all."

"Naturally," she played along. "That would be lovely."

"Tomorrow then," he smiled, not knowing what to do, so simply kissing her once on the cheek.

She smiled as she watched him walk off, before opening the large gate and walking through.

"Where have you been?" A voice came from the other side of the gate, making her jump.

She looked over to see Aurélie standing against the stone wall, arms folded.

"What are you doing?" Lily spat out. "You scared me half to death."

"What are _you_ doing?" she asked. "Cavorting with American soldiers, I see. I may not have understood a word you were saying to him there, but I know when two people are involved. Does Lulu know about this?"

"What is it to you?" Lily challenged.

"I just don't think she'd be too happy to know you'd broken one of her rules," Aurélie replied. "I'd hate to see you, oh I don't know, thrown out into the snow."

"I'm sure you would," Lily replied dryly, fed up with this girl's behaviour. She walked right up to her face. "Do you think I give a damn? Go on, tell her. Let's see who she believes. I think at the end of the day, she'd prefer the girl who was secretly meeting with the US soldier as opposed to the girl who used to secretly meet the Nazi."

Aurélie's eyes opened wide.

"That's right, I know about that," she warned. "Don't challenge me, Aurélie. I mean it."

Lily flounced on her heel and began to march towards the main door.

"This isn't over," Aurélie said through clenched teeth.

Lily stopped and turned back to face her. "You're right. It's not over."

……………………………

Exhausted and cold, but happy, Bill arrived back to his barracks. Sighing contentedly, he flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. He felt himself dozing off when the feeling of extra weight pressing down on the bed next to him. He opened one eye to see Joe Toye staring at him with one foot on his bed, arms leaning on his knee.

"Where you been all day, Bill?" Joe asked suspiciously. "No one's seen ya all day, pal."

"Nowhere, Joe," Bill lied. "I've been nowhere."


	14. Chapter 14 Don't trust her

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 14

(Two new chapters! My apology for taking sooo long to update. I'm snowed under with uni work already and it's 3 weeks in, haha. But I'll try and keep the updates steady, cos this story is building to it's crescendo :D )

…………………………………

The next morning, Lily and Lulu sat discussing the paperwork over coffee at 5 a.m, certain that the girls were still sleeping off the night before.

"Christian didn't really see the connection," Lily mused. "But I'm unsure. It's all a little too…convenient."

"Mmm, I agree," Lulu said, sipping from her mug.

"Do you think she killed him?" she asked tentatively.

Lulu shook her head firmly. "No, no. Isabelle couldn't hurt a fly. I don't think she had it in her to kill anyone, even a Nazi. And, believe you me, her hatred for the Nazis ran deep. No. More likely, I'd think, was that he kidnapped her."

"Kidnapped her?" Lily echoed.

"Pretty young thing like her, of course," Lulu replied, mid-sip. "Not that Isabelle would have reciprocated, of course. Her hatred was intense, as I said."

"Speaking of hatred," Lily said, remembering her confrontation with Aurélie the day before. "Aurélie saw Bill and I yesterday. I feel she's getting very suspicious."

"That girl's always been suspicious," Lulu raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry about her. She's just looking for something to fill her time with."

"Alright," she replied, still unsure.

"I still can't believe you took that soldier with you," Lulu tutted.

"But if I hadn't then we wouldn't have these files!" she retorted. "He's not a bad person, I promise. No one even recognised him as a soldier and he's on our side."

"I know that but…," Lulu softened. "Well, I suppose. As long he tells no one."

"Secrecy is his speciality," she reassured her. "Which reminds me. He asked if I would have coffee with him today. Is that alright?"

"You're asking for my permission?"

"Well…yes."

"Cherie, when have you ever listened to anything I have to say?" Lulu chucked fondly. "Don't ask for my permission. The heart wants what it wants…and suppose you never see this American again after all this."

Lily sighed, knowing this was true. "I should get these upstairs before I start preparing breakfast for the girls."

"Wait," Lulu said, reaching into a drawer. "I forgot. We received this list yesterday. Resistance members have been compiling it for a while. Isabelle's father is not only a politician but quite a wealthy landowner, and this is a list of all the properties in his possession. Most are well known, and have already been searched. This one at the top caught my eye, however. It's a run down shack deep into the forest. He owns the vast acres around it. I think he had the intention of turning it into a luxury hotel before the war broke out. It's extremely run down, almost uninhabitable. It's highly unlikely they're there but…just maybe. I thought perhaps you and your soldier or Christian should investigate."

"Alright," Lily said, thinking she'd need to get some civilian clothes again for Bill. Christian would _love_ that.

Lily walked up to her room in the silence of the house. She stopped short when she saw Aurélie standing outside of her door, pressing suspiciously around the door frame.

"What are you doing?" Lily demanded.

Aurélie didn't even jump. "This door is always locked. Why?"

"For privacy…not that it's any of your business,"

Aurélie walked over to her, crossing her arms. "Privacy? What do you have to hide, Lily?"

"Nothing," Lily insisted, warningly.

"I doubt that," Aurélie said over her shoulder as she walked back to her own bedroom. "I don't think we know the real you. I think you have a lot of skeletons in your closet, Lily."

Shaking her head, Lily opened the door to her room and went inside. She pored over the various sheets of paper for a while, trying to work everything out in her head until the sound of the girls walking down the kitchen snapped her back to earth. She still had to prepare their breakfast! Rushing, she left the papers on her bed and turned her key in the lock but, in her haste, didn't realise that she left the key itself in the lock. None the wiser, she hurried down the stairs to the kitchen.

………………………

Aurélie lay on her bed, thinking of her German lover. She longed to see him again. She was self-admittedly hard-hearted, but she'd never let anyone into her heart before. Now she craved him, couldn't stop thinking about it. She heard the excited noises of chatter coming from downstairs and it turned her stomach. How could it be possible to be so happy when she felt this way. The thought of the girls fawning over that bitch, Lily, made her want to punch her fist into the wall. No. Once friends, none of them mattered to her now. Trying to will herself back to sleep, she heard crackling voices from somewhere in the distance. Immediately her ears picked up, those were noises she'd heard several times before coming from upstairs in Lily's room. Silently and careful to make sure there was no one else around, she tiptoed up to Lily's room. She put her ear to the door and listened to the voices coming from within. It sounded like a radio programme or broadcast in patchy waves…but she couldn't understand a word of it. It wasn't French. Suddenly she looked down, and her face erupted into a huge smile as she spied to key stuck firmly in the lock. This was too perfect. Secretive Lily had slipped up. Opening the door, she snuck inside, closing it behind her.

The first thing she noticed was the noise coming from the corner of the room…but she couldn't see a radio. Walking over to the corner table, she thought she could hear the noise coming from within it. Pulling up the table cover, she squinted at what she saw. A large metal apparatus. Certainly the source of the noise, but it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before in her life.

"Lily? Come in Lily," it barked out.

She didn't know what it was, but she certainly recognised the word "lily". She replaced the cover and continued to look around the room. She opened Lily's side drawer, pulling out a portrait. It was a family portrait of Lily and presumably her parents and brother. Normal enough, except for the fact that her brother was wearing a British Army Uniform. Clucking happily, Aurélie replaced the photo, and her eyes soon settled on the scattered bits of paper strewn about the bed. So happy to be discovering the secrets of Lulu's precious Lily, she began to read.

…………………………..

"So, we hear you've been cavorting with a handsome American," Sylvie giggled as she spread toast on her piece of bread. "Or so Aurélie says."

"Oh, is that what Aurélie says?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Was he one of the ones from the other night?" Mathilde piped up.

"I'm not saying a word," Lily smirked, drying the last of the dishes from the sink. "I'm going to get dressed. Enjoy breakfast, ladies."

Lily skipped upstairs towards her room, reaching into her pocket for her room key. She began to panic when she couldn't feel it there. Where was it?! She sighed with relief when she saw it in the lock of her bedroom. _Stupid girl_, she scolded herself as she removed it and walked into her room, _if Aur_élie had seen that key she'd have had a field day and Lily's whole mission here would've been ruined. Hastily, she gathered the files on her bed into a pile without looking at them, and began to get ready to meet Bill.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," Lily called.

Sylvie walked in. "Getting ready to go out?"

"Yes," Lily smiled, brushing her hair.

"To meet your soldier?"

"Perhaps," Lily smiled coyly.

"Well, for what it's worth I'm very happy for you. Those Americans are handsome specimens," Sylvie smiled warmly.

Lily burst out laughing. Sylvie always made her laugh. "Thanks Sylvie."

"Thank _you_," Sylvie insisted. "We don't say it to you a lot but…we're all really happy you've come here to stay with us, Lily."

She was about to respond when another knock came from the door, and Aurélie stuck her head around the corner. "Mind if I chat to Lily, Sylvie?"

Sylvie eyed Aurélie warily. "Alright."

When Sylvie had gone, Aurélie came in and sat on the bed. "Can we talk, Lily?"

"What about?" Lily asked, giving her a steely look.

"I'm sorry for scolding you about the American," she said earnestly. "It was none of my business and I was wrong to try and threaten you."

"Oh," Lily said, taken aback.

"Also," Aurélie continued. "I'm sorry about the way I've treated you since you arrived. I may have been taking some of my feelings out on you. You didn't deserve it."

"That's…alright," Lily replied, cautiously.

"I'd really like it if we could put it all behind us and start again," Aurélie smiled cheerfully.

"That would be nice," Lily played along, thinking about how strange this was…and not really trusting the girl any more than she ever had.

……………………………

Bill pulled on the scratchy but well-fitting jumper, whistling in happiness at how well it fit him.

"What the hell are you wearing?" A voice interrupted.

He turned around to see Joe. "Oh hey Joe. Just found them in the barracks. Don't know who they belonged to."

"Well they suit you," Joe said, sarcastically. "Plans today?"

"Goin' out," he replied, absent-mindedly.

"Where?" Joe asked.

"Just out," he repeated.

"But where?"

"What's with all the questions?" He laughed at his friend. "I'm just goin' out. Don't worry about it. I'll see ya later, alright?"

"Alright, Buddy," Joe said, watching his friend walk off. He frowned. Bill had been acting strangely the last couple of days. Stranger than normal anyway. He was worried his friend was starting to lose it. Maybe he should follow him…

…………………….

Lily propped herself up against the wall at the bottom of the garden, waiting for Bill. He was late. A first for him. She watched the snow fall gently, interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She looked up to see Bill, walking towards her in civilian clothes.

"Look at you," she whistled. "Whats with the _normal people_ clothing?"

"Well, I didn't know if you should be seen in a café with someone in a uniform so I planned ahead and found these around the base."

"You're getting the hang of the spy game," she joked, pointing to his vomit-green jumper and trousers. "I don't think I've actually ever seen clothing that colour."

"Hey," he laughed defensively. "It's the best I could do."

"Sorry," she apologised, patting him on the arm.

He offered her his arm. "Come on."

"Do you even know where you're going?" she joked.

"Well, no…"

……………………

An hour later they sat at the back of a small café, where they could speak English to each other without drawing too much suspicion.

"So you're taking me on another mission?" he asked, pretending to sigh frustratedly.

"Only if you want to," she said, putting on puppy dog eyes.

"Of course I want to," he laughed. "Can I finish my coffee first?"

"Of course," she tutted. "It would probably be better if we go under the cover of darkness anyway."

"Think you can spend all day with me until then?" Bill teased.

"Well, bearing in mind that is _winter_ and it gets dark at around 4 p.m…and it's 2 p.m. now," she teased back.

"Very funny," he leaned back in his chair. "So what were you saying about this Aurélie girl?"

"Oh," Lily sat up. "She's been constantly suspicious of me and quite rude to me ever since I got here…and this morning she suddenly asked if we could be friends."

"You think she knows something?"

"Maybe," Lily shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well I wouldn't trust her," Bill said firmly. "Don't trust her at all."

"I don't," she reassured him.

Bill put his empty cup back onto the saucer. "Feel like goin for a walk?"

……………………

They walked through the sleepy village, amid the lightly falling snow. She took his arm.

"I still can't believe we met again this way," he shook his head. "It's not normal."

"It is quite strange," she agreed, putting on a silly voice. "Must have been in the stars."

"Probably," he laughed. "So did you use your paint set?"

"No," she said. "I'm not a painter. No point in trying."

"Was nice of him," he replied, unconvincingly.

"Jealous?" she said, half-joking.

"Maybe a little," he teased. "It's been so nice to see you again, but I didn't realise I'd have so much competition."

"Competition?"

"Well, Oskar, and Christian clearly…,"

"Bill, you don't seriously think I came here to find love?" she said dryly. "It was the furthest thing from my mind."

"I know, I know," he nodded his head.

"Anyway…you view them as competition? Are you after my affection, Bill Guarnere?" she joked.

"Maybe I am,"

"So much for it ending in Aldbourne," she smiled.

"I think that was your idea, not mine," he corrected her, smiling as he met her gaze. "It didn't really end for me. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"I thought about you everyday," she said, motioning for him to sit down next to her on a bench. "I tried not to."

"Tried not to?"

"Well…there was never really going to be a future in it," she reasoned, looking down into her lap. "Even if we survived this war…we're still a world apart."

"Positive thinking," he joked, knowing she was right. "But if you know something's right then you can make it work."

"But how could we know that after a few weeks," she frowned. "We did all we could do in Aldbourne. We lived in the moment."

"Does that apply for here too?" he asked tentatively.

She studied his face, her heart thumping. She'd missed him. Missed him in every sense of the world. Emotionally, romantically…physically. Without caring about people looking at them, she leaned forward and let him pull her into a searing kiss.

………………………..

"Come on, Aurélie!" Lulu shouted from downstairs. "We're leaving now!"

Aurélie looked in her mirror, dishevelling her hair before walking down the stairs, putting on a painful face. "Lulu I don't want to go on the afternoon walk today. My stomach…it's my monthly and…"

"Well a walk will make you feel better," Sylvie piped up.

"Please," she looked at Lulu, imploringly. "Can I just go back to bed."

Lulu sighed, stressed. Her mind was clearly elsewhere. She waved a hand dismissively at her. "Fine, fine. Go back to bed."

Aurélie watched as they all filtered out of the door, dressed up to combat the winter weather. She watched from the window until she was sure that they were all gone. Slowly she walked over to the telephone, ready to dial the number she'd been wanting to dial for so long but hadn't had a reason to.

"_If you know anything useful, please keep in touch with me"_…his parting words to her.

She began to dial, using the phrase he'd taught her to say in German. "Could I speak to Heinrich Kutze, please?"

Her heart thumped as she waited, then she finally heard his voice. Her heart soared.

"Aurélie, my Angel. Is that you?"

"Oh, Heinrich," she sighed. "I have something you might want to know."


	15. Chapter 15 What it comes down to part 1

How Far Would You Go For Country

How Far Would You Go For Country?- Chapter 15

…………………………………..

_**2.45 p.m**_

Lily wasn't aware of anything around her. Not the cold, nor the occasional passer by…nor Joe Toye watching them from afar. All she could feel was the soft sensation of Bill's kisses, the heat from his body making her skin tingle…and her annoyance when he pulled away. He put a hand on her cheek.

"Is that what you had in mind when you said we should try not to draw attention to ourselves?" he joked.

"I think there was a fundamental flaw in that plan," she whispered, breathing heavily.

"Apparently," he smiled, looking down bashfully. "Not that I mind or anything'."

She sat back, adjusting her hat and pulling her coat tighter around, shivering as she suddenly became aware of the cold again. "I don't either, however bad a venue this is."

"Sure is cold out," He said, putting his hands in his pockets.

She smiled at him, standing up and offering him her hand. "Do you want to go somewhere for a while?"

"Where?"

"I know somewhere we can go,"

Nodding in approval, he ignored her hand and took her arm, letting her lead him away.

………………..

_**2.48 p.m.**_

Watching them leave, Joe Toye walked slowly towards they bench they'd been sitting on and sat down. It was still warm. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen. That was her, wasn't it? It had to be. She'd looked familiar back at the brothel he'd followed Bill to, but she didn't have the right hair so he'd thought she was just some girl from the brothel Bill was giving the sweet talk to. His first thought had been to congratulate his friend- _well done for moving on!_ Yet something had nagged at him, her familiarity. It wasn't until now, seeing them face to face and kissing each other, that he was sure it was her. Definitely Lily. He'd be damned if he ever forgot a face.

What was she doing here? Why was she at a brothel? Joe had so many unanswered questions and was, frankly, a little hurt that Bill hadn't shared any of this with him. Still, he figured Bill had his reasons. Deciding to leave his friend to enjoy his time with the girl he'd mooned over for the past few months, Joe began the walk back to Mourmelon-le-Grand.

………………………

_**3 p.m.**_

After leading him around for a good ten minutes, Lily stopped in front of her desintation. A crumbling sandstone building that was well into it's golden years. It had suffered quite a bit through age and the war. Bill raised one eyebrow at the dilapidated building before him. "Lily, what is this place?"

"It's a Church," she said, leading him towards it.

"A Church?" he repeated, blinking. "Lily…it only has half a roof."

"Alright…well, it used to be a church," she corrected herself. "Come on."

She led him into the back of the old church, through a large crack in the wall. Instructing him to sit down on a pew, she took her lighter from her satchel and began to light the candles in the candlesticks on the walls. Bill smiled, in this light it didn't look so bad.

"It's quite nice, really," she said, holding her arms up to show off the place.

"It's been so long since I've been in a proper church," he smiled, feeling comforted by the surroundings. "How did you find this place?"

"We come here every Sunday," Lily explained. "The girls aren't exactly welcomed by the female locals at the Sunday sermons. A retired town priest comes every Sunday to read a mass and listen to their confessions."

"Who woulda thought," Bill chuckled. "Prostitutes in Church."

"Well, they _do_ still want to get into heaven," she joked.

He patted the seat next to him, indicating for her to sit next to him. She did.

"What made you do this, Lily?" he asked quietly.

"It was cold outside," she replied, playing dumb.

"You know what I mean," he shook his head. "What made you do all of this? Why did you come here? Are you trying to be a hero?"

"Am I trying to be a hero?" she echoed, curling her lip. "No, I am _not_ trying to be a hero."

"It's dangerous, Lily,"

"And what? What you do is dangerous too!" she protested.

"I didn't have a choice," he pointed out. "You did. Why did you do this? You had a good job with the WAAFs. You were safe."

"It wasn't enough for me," she said then stopped, laughing at herself. "That sounds so selfish. There are so many women in England who would do anything for the job I had, but it's true. It _wasn't_ enough for me. I wanted more."

"More?"

"This is going to sound so stupid…," she bit her lip.

"Tell me…"

"I wanted to be a pilot, like my brother is. Like the other women flying aircraft and…" she began.

"Women do that?"

"Some do," she smiled. "But not just any old Harriet. It takes a certain calibre of woman. I suppose I thought that, by coming here…. How stupid I was."

"Oh," he said simply. "Stupid?"

"I feel guilty to think of it now," she frowned. "So guilty. I came here for all the wrong reasons."

"You can always go home," he said, rubbing her arm comfortingly. "Maybe you should."

She shook her head. "I might have come here for the wrong reasons, but nonetheless I _did_ come here. I feel like I can do some good whilst I'm here. If I can just find Isabelle…."

"Why is this broad so important, anyway?"

"She was so dedicated to the Resistance. Putting her life on the line like that…it's incredible. She went into the Nazi HQ without think of herself," Lily explained excitedly. "I don't know…I suppose she seems like a bit of a heroine to me…and for her to be kidnapped like that."

"Kidnapped?"

"Well, we think so. It's one of the likely possibilities," she explained.

Bill kissed her forehead. "Well maybe you were meant to come and find her."

"And maybe you were meant to be here to help me," she gave him a little smile.

"_Maybe_," he laughed, looking at her, feeling so attracted to her vulnerability. "What should we do now?"

Looking down, Lily shrugged. She glanced absent-mindedly at the pulpit. "Pray?"

……………………………….

_**4.45 p.m**_

When the sky turned dark just after 4 p.m., Lily and Bill hadl set off to the look for the shack, hoping to find any trace to Isabelle's whereabouts. Unfamiliar with that particular part of the woods, Lily negotiated both of them along the landscape as best as possible, unaided by the increasingly thicker falling snow and strong-blowing winds. Eventually they came across a small cottage, alone amongst the thicket of trees and shrubbery.

"It's gotta be this one," Bill shouted to Lily, trying to make his voice heard over the wind. "It's the only sign of civilisation we've seen in a while!"

"I don't know! It's not as much of a shack as Lulu said it was! Come on!" she shouted, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards it.

She tried to open the door, but it appeared to be lock. Bill looked at it, figuring that, being made of old wood, it should be fairly easy to negotiate his way in. Taking aim, he kicked it squarely. It gave way immediately, creaking open. They went inside, looking around for signs of Isabelle or the Second-in-Command.

"There's nothing," Lily threw her hands up in despair as they met again in the tiny sitting room. "Nothing at all! What a waste of time! All this way for _nothing_!"

"Well let's look around at least," he reasoned. "Maybe they're not here right now, but I get the feeling someone has been here."

"Why do you think that?"

"Well look, these logs in the hearth have been freshly chopped," he grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen, opening the larder. "Look."

"What?" she blinked, confused.

"This cheese and bread…," he pointed. "Fresh, not stale."

"How can you...," she began.

"I'm Italian," he smirked. "I know when bread is good for eatin'."

"Alright," she sighed, walking back into the sitting room and slumping down on the tattered sofa. . "So there has been someone or a few people here. There's nothing here that can help us. It's a lost cause."

"Not necessarily," he said, sitting next to her. "I think you can safely assume it was either her or the German that's been here. If not then it's been a bum lookin' for somewhere to get some shut eye…and I don't know many bums that can afford good quality cheese like that. So that means at least _one_ of the two people you're looking for are still alive."

"I suppose," she said, perking up a little as she realised he was right. She suddenly sprang into action. "I should get back to Lulu and let her know because…"

He held out a hand to stop her as she made her way to the door. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"Lily, look at it outside," he said, pointing out of the window. "Think of how hard it was to get here. I think we should wait it out here for a while until the storm calms down."

"But I…," she said, her eyes desperate.

"Jeez Lily, sit down would ya?" he sighed, putting a hand on her arm. "You don't need to be all action all of the time. You'll get to tell Lulu…but not if you die in that storm outside!"

Relenting, she sighed as she sat down again on the sofa. She had so much adrenaline running through her body, what with the long, dangerous walk there and her eagerness to tell Lulu what she'd found.

Smiling at her pouting face, he walked over to the fireplace crouching down to examine it. "It won't be so bad. I can probably get this fire going to heat you up, and there's food in the pantry if you get hungry. I don't think the weather will be too bad for too long, we just have to kill a few hours maybe."

Lily cocked her head to one side as she watched him walk over to the window and stare out into the forest. He cared so much about her. She felt so safe with him. She'd never wanted him more. Taking her hat off and placing it gently on the arm rest, she walked over to him, putting her arms around his waist and placing a gentle kiss on his neck.

He turned round, slightly surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Giving into my urges," she smiled, coining a phrase he'd used back in Aldbourne. She rose onto her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips, letting her hands slip under the hellish jumper he was wearing.

"Are you sure?" he asked, desire coursing through his body as she led him over to the sofa.

Sighting contentedly as he laid her gently along the length of the sofa, she whispered gently into his ear. "Can't you tell?"

…………………………

_**9.15 p.m.**_

The men of Easy lay restlessly around on their bunks. With nothing to do and having overspent on the local entertainment, boredom was crippling them.

"I'm think of something beginning with _S_…," Perco said, his head buried in his pillow.

"Is it "_Shut the Hell up, Perco"_ ?" Liebgott said dryly as he traced the freckles on his arms with his finger, yawning.

"No one's playin, Perco," Skip said, slightly more tactfully.

"You're quiet, Joe," Popeye stated simply, looking over at Toye, who looked absent-mindedly up at the ceiling.

"What time is it?" Joe asked gruffly, ignoring Popeye. He sighed when he didn't get an immediate response. "What the hell time is it, _anybody_?"

"A quarter past nine," Lieb told him.

Joe frowned. Hours had passed by and Bill still hadn't returned to the barracks. Something wasn't right.

"Where's Bill?" Randleman drawled, as though reading Joe's mind.

"Good point. Where _is_ Bill?" Perco looked over at Joe. "Joe?"

Joe sat upright, leaning down to pull on his boots. "I'm gonna go look for him."

"Why? Where is he?" Luz asked, taking a draw from his cigarette and rolling over to face Joe.

"I don't know, but I'm gonna find him," Joe said, walking towards the door.

"Should we…come?" Luz asked, but he was already.

Joe jammed his hands into his pockets as he walked, preparing for the cold outside. He figured his best bet would be the brothel.

…………………………..

_**9.45**_ _**p.m**_

Lulu sighed as she turned the porch light off and went back inside. Her thoughts were perturbed to say the least. Lily hadn't come back and she hadn't seen her since this morning. She couldn't help feeling guilty. It was her who'd sent Lily off investigating…in this weather, too. She shivered against the cold as she pulled her dressing gown around her shoulders. She walked into the sitting room, where the girls all sat in their pyjamas, chatting amongst themselves. There had been no customers at all that evening, so she'd _closed business_ early for the evening, thinking an early night would do the girls good.

"Girls, why don't you go into the kitchen and put on some hot chocolate," she suggested, thinking it might calm her nerves.

The girls excitedly bounded into the kitchen, chattering excitedly. It was a rare occasion when Lulu let them use the cocoa powder, with the rationing and all. They all went except for Aurélie, who sat on the edge of the sofa, her legs pressed firmly together. Her face ghostly pale, she chewed desperately on her fingernails. Lulu noticed this as she passed by her to stoke the fire in the hearth. Silence hung in the room uncomfortably until Lulu turned around to face her.

"Are you feeling better?" Lulu asked, eyeing the girl.

"y…yes," Aurélie mumbled, her eyes darting around shiftily.

"What's wrong?" Lulu asked, concerned. "You've been acting strange all day."

"I'm fine!" Aurélie snapped.

She raised her eyes and then moved to kneel down in front of the girl. "What happened to you, Cherie? You used to be my little ray of sunshine. Why did you change?"

"A lot of things changed," Aurélie said, staring coldly at her.

Lulu frowned, she no longer recognised the girl sitting before her. She opened her mouth to speak but the noise of a vehicle from outside caught her attention. _Customers perhaps_, she wondered as she shuffled over to the window. She drew the curtain back, trying to get a look. Watching the men climb down from the jeep, Lulu's eyes widened in horror. Putting a hand over her mouth, her eyes glazed over in absolute fear as she slowly turned back round to face Aurélie, who looked at the door, eyes wide open. Suddenly, after several loud thuds, the door burst open and the sound of feet running

Lulu, trembling and pale, turned to the girl on the sofa and spoke, her voice barely able to reach to more than a whisper. "Aurélie…_what have you done_?"


	16. Chapter 16 what it comes down to part 2

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 16

………………………..

_**10 p.m.**_

Lily stared into the dying embers in the hearth. She could feel Bill's gentle breath on the back of her neck. He was still asleep, and she wouldn't have woken him for anything in the world. Enjoying the feeling of his arms around her again, she slid her hand along his arm towards his hand, interlocking her fingers into his. She looked towards the window. The storm had died down now, but her eagerness to get back to town had subsided. She didn't mind staying here a while longer, as long as she was with Bill. Trying to get back to sleep, she let her eyes drift dozily around the room. She blinked. Something caught her eye under the dusty shelving near there door. Crumpled paper. Her interest piqued, she wanted to go investigate. She turned gently to look at Bill sleeping, looking exhausted. Not wanting to wake him, she carefully disentangled herself from his arms and rolled…landing on the floor with a crash. Scolding herself inside, she began to crawl along the ground as quietly as possible, passing crawling past a pistol lying next to Bill's trousers. She wondered where he'd gotten it from. She reached for the paper, smoothing it out eagerly to read it.

"That's a flattering angle right there," Bill teased groggily from the sofa.

Panicked, she quickly sat back, putting less of herself on show. "I didn't want to wake you."

"It sounded like you dropped a hammer!" he laughed.

"Oh thanks," she said dryly, picking up the paper and walking back over to the sofa. "I didn't realise I weighed _so_ much."

"Shaddup," he laughed, pulling her down next to him, pointing to the paper. "What's this?"

"I found it over there," she said, opening it and scanning it.

"Well…?"

"Train timetable for this month. The trains haven't been running regularly since the war started so there aren't many. Wait…," she said, peering closer to the sheet. "There's a little marking next to the midnight train."

" What, tonight? You think they're planning on getting out of here?" Bill asked.

"Yes, tonight. It makes sense, I suppose," she replied, thinking. "The trains weren't really an option before. Full of Nazis being transported."

"Well young lady," Bill said, taking the sheet of paper, looking at the French. "I think you have your clue to the next part of the puzzle."

"I hope so," she said excitedly, folding up the paper and putting it into her satchel.

Bill looked at his wristwatch and grimaced. "Shit. I really have to get back to barracks."

"Sorry I kept you so long," she apologised.

"Are you kiddin me?" he said, leaning in and kissing her. "I'd do it all exactly the same. But for now…I should get you home."

Reluctantly, they dressed and extinguished the fire, extinguishing the light along with it. The moonlight was the only light guiding them.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," she joked, grabbing for his arm in the dark.

"Just hang on to me, little lady," he said, jokingly deepening his voice. "I'll take care of you."

"I bet you will," she laughed, opening the door. "It's so quiet out there."

"Well, there is definitely no one else around,"

Suddenly, something blasted through the window, whizzing past her face and sending her flying backwards. He rushed to her side.

"Bill," she whispered, her eyes darting from side to side. "Tell me that wasn't a bullet."

"Sorry, Sweetie," he said, taking her hand. "I've seen enough to know that it definitely was."

"What do we do?" she asked, gripping his hand in fear.

He looked deep into her eyes, and spoke to her quickly. "A bullet like that has got to come from a sniper. I don't know where he is but we gotta be fast than his eye. I hope you can run Sweetie, because when I count to three we have to run…and I mean _run_ in a zigzag."

"I'm scared, Bill," her eyes looked into his pleadingly.

"Don't worry," he kissed her forehead. "Just take my hand and keep up with me. Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise. Ready? One, two…three!"

……………………….

_**11.15 p.m.**_

Certain they'd managed to evade the shooter, Bill and Lily kept up a steady pace back to the town. The stopped at a small stone wall just outside. Lily's legs began to buckle so Bill lifted her up onto a seating position on the wall. She put her head in her hands.

"Fuck," she said simply

"Hey, don't get upset," Bill said, trying to comfort her, not used to her swearing.

"Unless I'm very much mistaken, I think we both know who that was," she said, rubbing her temples. "Unless it was a hunter or something."

"Yeah, we know who it was," he looked at the ground, not really knowing what to say to comfort her.

"I failed, Bill," she said simply, devastated. "They know about me."

"That's not necessarily your fault, though," he said. "I'm sure they got some smart fellas on their team."

"I thought I was being so careful," she shrugged hopelessly, chuckling bitterly. "I guess not."

"Hey, hey," he said, pulling her into a hug. "You've done a brilliant job."

"Have I?" she frowned. "I've been here for months and I haven't even found her. Now I won't get the chance to."

Bill slid his hand down into her satchel, pulling out the train timetable. He held it up in front of her. "The night's not over yet."

"What do you mean?"

"They might know who you are…but you still have a shot at doing what you came here to do. This train leaves at midnight, Lily. She might be on it, she might not be. At least you can say you tried," he urged.

"There's no point," she shook her head. "The chances of her being there are so slim. That might not even be her timetable."

"Like I said, it's fifty-fifty, but if you don't go you'll always wonder," he said, swiftly lifting her back onto her feet again and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Come on, kiddo, don't make the last few months meaningless."

She looked into his eyes, feeling her spirit lifting ever so slightly. She slid her hand into his. "Okay, Sergeant."

……………………………………

_**11.50**_ _**p.m**_

The train station of Mourmelon-le-Petit was bustling. Lily had never seen it like this. Most people had tried their hardest to avoid it whilst the Germans were there, with trains regularly out of commission anyway, but since the Americans had come there had been a flurry of activity, with relatives visiting each other to make sure each other had survived. Lily scanned the faces as she ran blindly through, taking in nothing. Looking desperately to the announcement screen, she saw the midnight train was leaving from Platform 2. She took off towards it, Bill in tow.

"I'm sorry, Mademoiselle. I need to see your tickets please," the station attendant held up his hand, stopping them at the barrier.

"What's he saying," Bill asked impatiently, moving menacingly close to him.

"That we can't get past the barrier without a ticket," she said, turning back to the attendant and speaking to him in French. "Please, Sir. We're not riding on the train, we're just trying to find someone. It's important. So important."

The attendant stood firm. "If you don't have a ticket then please step aside."

Lily threw her hands up in the air and turned to Bill. "He's saying no, the bugger."

Defeated, they walked out of the queue and back into the main area of the station.

"Still got your gun?" Lily asked, worryingly only semi-sarcastically.

"How did you know about that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I saw it," she replied, looking around for another way past the barrier.

"Yeah I have it," he said, almost amused. "I'm not gonna shoot him though, much as I'd like to. The smarmy little bastard. Hey, what's that?"

"What?" she asked, trying to follow Bill's gaze.

"Over there," he said, pointing to the metal gate that extended along the barrier to the platforms. "There's a hole there."

They walked discreetly over to it.

"I don't think I could get through that," he said, scratching his head in thought. "but I'll bet you could."

Without hesitation, she squeezed through the gap, catching her skirt on the craggy, broken metal, but she didn't care.

"Good luck, kiddo," Bill whispered as she left.

Lily scaled up the platform, scanning everyone she passed by, clenching her fists in frustration every time she yielded no result. She reached out and grabbed a girl with long hair. "Isabelle!"

The girl turned round and stared at her, terrified. It wasn't Isabelle. "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry," Lily apologised, continuing to search frantically around her.

Not finding her, Lily sighed. She turned around abruptly to leave…and smacked into a girl, sending her flying back.

"I'm so sorry," she apologised profusely, helping the short-haired girl to her feet again. "It was an accident."

"Don't worry about it," the girl said, holding up her hands to say it was alright. "I'm not hurt."

"Let me help you with those," Lily said, bending down to help the girl pick up everything she'd dropped when she'd fallen.

"No, it's alright," the girl insisted, looking at Lily.

Lily blinked. "Alright. Sorry again."

"Please, don't worry," the girl smiled at Lily and began to walk away.

Lily turned to walk away…and stopped. That face. Sure, the hair was different but _that face_ was so familiar. It was her. Isabelle. Alive. Lily was sure of it.

"Wait!" she cried, rushing to catch up with the girl and grabbing at her arm. "Let me look at you."

"What are you doing?" the girl gasped.

"Isabelle?" Lily whispered, studying her face intently.

Her eyes widened. It was all the answer Lily needed.

"It's you, isn't it," a smile broke over Lily's face. "I found you."

She opened her mouth to reply, but they were interrupted by the arrival of a handsome man, who put his arm around her, eyeing Lily suspiciously. "Come, darling. The train leaves soon."

Lily immediately recognised this man was speaking French with a foreign accent. It all clicked in her head. She turned to Isabelle. "So you fell in love with him?"

"What…," Isabelle began.

"Don't talk to this woman, Isabelle," the man said, pulling her towards the train. "We have to go."

Lily watched as they began to walk off and ran after them, pulling Isabelle back. "_Everyone_ has been looking for you. They all thought you were _dead_. You're the whole reason _I'm_ here. I think you have a few minutes."

Her lip quivering with sadness, Isabelle blinked the tears away as she nodded at Lily. She looked at him. "A few minutes, darling. Give me a few minutes."

Lily led her over to a nearby bench, where both girls sat down. They looked at each other, an awkward silence spreading between the two. Lily had waited so long for this moment…and now no words came to mind.

"You came here to find me?" Isabelle asked, touching her hair nervously.

Lily nodded. "When the daughter of a famous politician goes missing, people tend to notice."

"They care that much?"

"You know they do," Lily looked at her warningly. "Especially you're friends in the Resistance. How could you do that to them?"

"I'm not a bad person," Isabelle protested, looking down into her lap. "Well…maybe I am. I just supposed they'd assume me dead. I can't justify my actions. I know I'm probably making the wrong decision but…I'm in love. I have to follow my heart. Do you understand what that feels like?"

"I suppose," she nodded, biting her lip.

"Isabelle we have to go," the Second-in-Command called over impatiently.

Isabelle reached into her handbag, pulling out a file of papers, handing them to Lily. "Not that they'll really be of any use now, give these to the Resistance. Give them to Lulu."

Lily took the files, putting them into her own satchel.

Isabelle stood up, pulling Lily up alongside her. She gave her a kiss on the cheek. "What's your name?"

"Lily,"

"I'm sorry, Lily," Isabelle said, heartfelt. "I'm sorry you're here because of me…for no reason."

"I'm glad I came," Lily replied honestly.

Isabelle nodded, wiping a tear away from her cheek, seemingly finally truly understanding the impact of what she'd done. Lily realised that Isabelle had suffered in a way, that she must have felt the guilt every day from her decision. She took Lily's hand, looking pleadingly into her eyes. "Tell Lulu that…. I don't know. Please tell her…something. Anything but the truth."

Lily nodded, following Isabelle back over to her lover. He nodded at her, assuming she understood the situation.

She turned to him, speaking in German. "Where does Oskar Schmidt live in Germany?"

He furrowed his brow at her, confused as to why she'd want to know that. "Bielefeld."

"Thank you," Lily replied. It was all she needed to know off of this man.

As the train pulled out of the station, Lily stuffed her hands into her pockets. She was ready to go home now, before things became more dangerous for her.

…………………………………..

_**12.40 p.m.- The Brothel Massacre**_

"So what's next for Secret Agent Stone?" Bill said, half-jokingly, as they walked back hand in hand to the brothel.

She shrugged, ever-eager to keep up the pace. "Right now my main concern is to give Lulu these files, explain about Isabelle and warn her about the Nazis. Then…I don't know. I suppose I should get out of here as fast as possible."

"Good idea. You need to hightail it outta here," he agreed, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Who knows, you might even make it home in time for Christmas."

"Maybe," she said, wishing inside that this could be true, but not wanting to express it in front of Bill. He had absolutely zero chance of being home to his family in time for Christmas.

"Then back to the WAAFs…if you're not out flying planes, of course," he winked at her.

She dug him playfully in the ribs. "You never know. I don't know, Bill. After all this…I think I'd gladly go back to my old job."

"Don't say that," he encouraged her. "Aim high."

Lily was surprised when she got to the gate to find that it was unlocked. Lulu hardly ever left it so, so it was strange, but Lily figured that it was a simple mistake, given Lulu's troubled state of mind recently. "Do you want to come in, warm up for a bit before you go back?"

"Lead the way," he nodded, following her up the path.

Walking up the patio steps, Lily stopped when saw the front door lying open. Her brow arched in confusion. "What the…"

"Maybe it swung open with wind," Bill whispered, sceptically.

"I doubt that very much," Lily said, walking slowly towards it.

"Wait!" Bill hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. "Maybe we shouldn't go in there, Lily. After the shooter…"

"I know," she nodded, her face pale. Her eyes looked at him imploringly. "Bill, the girls are in there. Lulu…"

Bill swallowed hard, nodding. "Ok, but you stay behind me, huh?"

"Okay," she whispered, letting him lead the way, gripping onto the backs of his arms tightly.

Hand ready at his small gun, Bill slowly walked into the house. The hallway had been ransacked. Tables and lamps lay upturned and broken, with papers strewn about everywhere. Lily turned on one of the wall lamps, illuminating the chaotic scene. A moan from the staircase caught Lily's attention and she rushed to the banister to look. Sylvie lay, her body strewn across the steps halfway up. Blood poured from a gaping wound in her stomach. Calling out the girl's name in desperation, Lily ran up the stairs, crouching down to her friend.

"Sylvie…are you alright?" she asked desperately, looking at the wound. "What happened?"

Fighting for breath, Sylvie's eyelids fluttered as she stared at the ceiling, tears rolling gently down the sides of her face. "Dead. Everyone's dead."

"Dead?" Lily repeated, her eyes darting desperately around as she tried to comprehend. "What do you mean?"

"They came…with guns," she struggled to get the words out, sobbing against the pain. "Everyone's dead! I heard them come, running…upstairs. I…I hid. I thought they were _gone_ and I…came downstairs and they…"

Lily whipped her head around to face Bill. "She says everyone's dead upstairs."

Bill ran upstairs.

"They shot me, Lily," Sylvie sobbed, gasping.

Tears streamed down Lily's cheeks as she held the girl into her chest, hoping that somehow it would take her pain away. "I'm so sorry, Sylvie."

She rocked her back and forth for a few more seconds, until with her last breaths, Sylvie passed away. Lily didn't let her go, holding tightly onto her and sobbing desperately. She didn't even hear Bill re-emerge at the top of the stairs.

"Lily…," he said, grabbing her attention.

She looked up at him, lip quivering. "She's dead, Bill."

"So is everyone upstairs," Bill said gently, panicked. He walked down and slowly lifted Lily to her feet. "I counted four…none of them were Lulu. Lily we have to get out of here."

"Not Lulu?" she echoed, turning on her heel and running into the sitting room.

She scanned her eyes around, her eyes settling on Lulu lying on the floor, wounded just as Sylvie had been. She ran to her side, looking at the wound and all of the blood. She didn't seem to breathing. Lily took her hand, sobbing. "Lulu…"

Suddenly, the woman's eyes flickered open, faintly. "Lily…"

Eyes wide opened, Lily pulled her closer. "Yes, Lulu! It's me. I'm here."

"The girls…?" Lulu asked, a panicked look in her eyes. "Are they…?"

Lily swallowed, she could tell Lulu didn't have long to go. "They're fine. They're all safe."

A relieved look spread over Lulu's face. She smiled faintly. "Lily…."

"I'm so sorry, Lulu," Lily sobbed, cradling her. "This is all my fault."

"No, Cherie," Lulu insisted, breathing deeply. "This isn't your fault. You mustn't think that. It was Au-…" She stopped talking, a series of coughs racking through her.

Sensing the end was near, Lily leaned in close to her. "Lulu. Lulu I found Isabelle. I found her!"

"You…you found her?"

"Yes," Lily smiled, tears still streaming. "I found her and…and she's safe. She's alright, Lulu."

A smiled spread over the woman's face. She looked contented…as she slowly passed away in Lily's arms. When it was over, Lily fell backwards, sobbing. She was in hell. Bill appeared behind her, sitting down on the floor next to her and pulling her into a fierce hug. Sobbing loudly, she buried her head into his shoulder as he stroked her back, telling her everything was going to be alright.

"Help!" a shout came from the kitchen.

Disentangling herself from Bill, she got slowly to her feet and walked slowly into the kitchen. She didn't see anyone. "Hello?"

"Help me!" A voice came again,

Suddenly Lily saw her, Aurélie, propped up against the larder door, sweat pouring down her face as her hands covered a wound similar to those of Sylvie and Lulu. Lily stood rooted to the spot.

"Lily!" Aurélie pleaded, looking at Lily imploringly. "Help me, please!"

"Are you hurt badly?" Lily asked, crouching down next to her.

"I don't know," she replied, screeching loudly into the air. "Why didn't he take me?!"

Lily sat back, alarmed. "What do you mean?"

Aurélie gritted her teeth against the pain. "I thought if I could get him here that maybe he'd…take me with him. But they…they shot…me."

Lily's eyes widened. "_You_. _You_ brought them here?"

Aurélie nodded, little remorse on her face as she fixed her eyes onto Lily in a steely gaze. "Yes. I found out…about…owwww_...you_. All of your little secrets."

"You bitch," Lily whispered, not mincing words. "All of them are dead! All for nothing!"

"I _thought_ he would take me with him," she repeated, angrily.

Eyes like thunder, Lily moved in closer, hissing into her ear. "And where is he now, Aurélie? You stupid,_ stupid_ bitch. I bet he saw you coming a mile away. An idiotic girl who he could get to do anything for him as long as the money flowed. Face it Aurélie, he never even loved you."

"Don't say that!" Aurélie slammed her hand against the floor, using all her strength. "He loved me!"

Lily let out a laugh as she stood back up, sneering at her. "And I'm sure you can expect him any minute now."

Bill walked in. "Are you okay?"

Not responding to him, Lily continued. "How does it feel, Aurélie? Knowing you had six people killed…for nothing! Your friends!"

"They were no friends of mine. That all changed when you came here," she replied, her voice growing craggier as she felt the life slipping out of her. She used all the force she had left to give Lily one last, menacing look. "And yes, they're all dead. Whiny Mathilde, promiscuous Madeleine…and that bitch, Sylvie."

Lily felt her temper reaching boiling point as she stared back down at the dying girl. Suddenly, she heard someone burst into the room behind them.

"Bill," a voice cried out. "What the hell's goin on here?"

It was Joe Toye.

"And furthermore…," Aurélie said, laughing defiantly at her. She was dying. She figured she had nothing else to lose. "I'd do it all over again…given the chance."

Her head dizzy with rage, without thinking, Lily reached over into Bill's pocket, pulling out his gun before he could stop her. Aiming it perfectly, she fired a shot straight into the girl she hated most in the world. The bang resonated throughout the house.

As Aurélie lay dead against the pantry door, Lily put her hand to her head as her whole world went black. She fainted to the ground.

"Woah," Bill said, catching her before she hit the ground hard. "Shit Joe! Give me a hand!"

Together, they lifted her out.


	17. Chapter 17 Don't want to wake up

How Far Would You Go For Your Country

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 17

NOTE- most of you will probably find this a very boring chapter. Not a lot happens. I just wanted to deal with the emotional feelings Lily might be feeling after killing Aurelie. Next one will be more exciting, I promise.

……………………………………

_**14**__**th**__** December, 1944**_

_She opened her eyes, blinking and breathing in deeply. The familiar smell of bread baking downstairs said it all. She was home again. Aldbourne. The summer sun streamed through the window, basking everything in a golden light. Smiling from ear to ear, she threw back the covers and walked over to her bureau, sitting down and picking up her hairbrush. She frowned at the mirror. It had a large crack down the middle, sending a large line down the centre of her face. She wondered how that had happened as she slowly began to brush the knots out of her hair. Setting the brush down, she picked up a pink ribbon and tied it into her hair. Lovely. But something seemed wrong. Suddenly the room turned grey. She turned round to face the window. Suddenly the sky was grey, the rain clouds fat and fit to burst. Rain smacked off of the window in fat droplets. _

"_What happened to the lovely weather?" she said to herself._

_Suddenly the sound of sobbing filled the room, coming from the kitchen downstairs. Almost in a trance, Lily rose from her bureau chair and walked downstairs. Walking into the kitchen, she saw her mother sitting at the kitchen table, head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably._

"_Mum?"_

Mrs Stone looked up, crestfallen. She shook her head slowly from side to side as she looked at her daughter. "Why Lily? Why?"

"Why what?" Lily replied, confused. 

"_You were always my innocent little Lily," Mrs Stone quivered. "I didn't think you had it in you."_

"Mum…"

_**BANG**__! A large crash of thunder from outside. _

…

Lily opened one eye, groggily. The room she was in was dark, but she knew she didn't recognise it anyway. She moved to sit up, but her body didn't move. It felt like lead, weighting her down onto the bed. She was so, so tired. Her body willed her back to sleep but she tried to keep her eyes open. She couldn't bear any more nightmares. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps filled the room.

"Are you alright, Miss?" came a voice in an accent unknown to her, drawling. She felt like she'd heard one similar before in a movie once.

She groggily cleared her throat. "Where am I?"

Before he could respond, her body pulled her back into a deep sleep.

…………………….

Rubbing his eyes, Bill opened the door to the Base Infirmary. He'd slept too long during the night. Should have been there for her. Making his way past the beds, he walked to the curtained area at the back that had been put up to protect her privacy. Pulling the curtain back, he sighed with relief as he saw her still asleep, her face contorting in discomfort. He could only imagine the nightmares that haunted her. Sitting down on the chair next to the makeshift bed, he took on of her hands.

"Did you get some sleep?" Doc Roe asked, joining him behind the curtain.

"Yeah," he said, looking down at her hand as he rubbed it gently. "I shouldn't have stayed away so long. She didn't wake up did she?"

"Yeah," Eugene bit his lip. "A couple of hours ago, she woke up."

He turned round to face the doc, annoyed. "She did? Shit, I shoulda been here."

"It's okay," Eugene shook his head. "She only opened her eyes for a second, then went back to sleep again. Another restless sleep, I think."

"Understandable. Poor kid. She wasn't used to seeing things like that, not like you or I would be" he continued rubbing her hand, hoping it would comfort her somehow.

"Did you talk to the Captain?" Roe asked, scratching his head. "Did you explain?"

Bill nodded his head. "Since the Brits aren't nearby he says she can stay here until we can get in contact with them to get her sent home. He's going to run it through with the Colonel."

"Maybe be she can get home in time for Christmas, huh," Eugene reasoned, trying to keep positive. "She's safe with us anyway."

"Small mercies,"

……………………………

_**December 15**__**th**__**, 1944**_

Lily slept for the entire day. Her second full day. It was like she didn't want to wake up and face the truth. Bill sat by her side, faithfully. But once again his own body began to crave sleep. Reassured by Eugene that he'd look out for her, Bill hesitantly took off back to the barracks, where he found Joe Toye polishing his boots.

"How's she doin?" Joe asked he Bill flopped down on his bunk.

"Still sleepin'," Bill responded, closing his eyes.

"Sleeping Beauty, huh," Joe commented. "Not surprising. She'll wake up when she's ready."

"Sooner rather than later I hope," Bill said, pursing his lips in thought. He rolled over on his bunk to face Joe. "I've been meaning to ask…how'd you know to find me?"

"I followed you," Joe admitted.

"You followed me?" He echoed.

"Yeah. You were being secretive so yesterday afternoon I followed you to see where you were going and I saw you with Lily at the brothel. I was confused but I figured you had a handle on what you were into so I left, but then you didn't come back…so I thought I should…check up on you," Joe replied, looking down.

Really he was touched, but he leaned forward up and jokingly punched his buddy in the leg. "You worried about me, Joe?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Joe rolled his eyes and looked away, embarrassed. "Don't think too much of it, I just didn't want be the only one to look after his bunch of clowns around here."

Bill laughed.

"Plus I guess I owed you," Joe reasoned. "Sorry for trying to make you get over her. Imagine you just meeting her out of the blue over here."

"Tell me about it, huh," he nodded, smiling.

"Maybe it was fate," Joe said, jokingly. He changed the subject. "Did you tell the Captain everything? Did you tell him that she…?"

"No," Bill shook his head. "He doesn't need to know what she did to that girl. I don't know if she could get into trouble for it. Besides, they'll never know. They'll think it was the Germans. Plus, I don't want everyone asking her about it, looking at her…when she wakes up she's gonna feel bad enough about things as it is."

"You think?" Joe asked, interested. "I thought you said that girl was the one who…"

"She was, but Lily don't exactly strike me as the type who's used to killing," Bill explained. "It'll take her a while to come to terms with it."

"Probably right," Joe nodded. "Best thing you can do for that girl right now is get her out of here and back to her family."

"I'm tryin, Joe. Believe me, I'm trying," Bill said, feeling a tug at his heartstrings all the while at the thought of losing her again.

…………………….

_Lily sat on the end of her bed, with her mother behind her, brushing her hair._

"_I've always loved your hair," Mrs Stone said, running the brush gently down her daughter's hair. _

"_I used to love it when you'd brush my hair when I was little," Lily smiled contentedly._

"_What do you mean when you were little," her mother chuckled. "You're still my little girl. You always will be."_

"Thanks, Mummy," Lily breathed in her mother's perfume.

"_Okay then," Mrs Stone said, setting down the brush and pushing Lily lightly to her feet. "Time to go."_

"Go?" Lily asked, confused. "Go where?" 

_Mrs Stone didn't answer, holding up Lily's jacket. "It's chilly outside, Sweetheart. You'll need this."_

"Where am I going?" she persisted.

_Suddenly the sound of footsteps on the gravel path came from outside._

"_Daddy's home," Mrs Stone whispered, her face filled with fear. "You'd better go. You don't want him to find out what you did."_

"_Where can I go?" Lily asked, desperate as the footsteps came closer._

"_Find someone who can help you!"_

Lily opened her eyes with a gasp. She flickered her eyelids as she tried to adjust to the light. She didn't know where the hell she was, just a large white curtain surrounding her and the pasty walls beside her.

"Lily," A voice said from next to her bedside.

She looked over. Bill.

"Where am I?" She said, slowly propping herself up.

"Don't move yourself too much," Bill said, concerned. "You're at our base, in the Infirmary."

"I'm not sick. Why am I…," she began to ask, before it all came flooding back to her. She burst into tears. Bill leaned forward to pull her into a deep hug. "Oh Bill."

"Sssh, it's okay," he soothed, rubbing her back.

…………………

A few hours later Lily sat, staring out of the window, alone in her little makeshift room. Bill was away on a drill. The snow continued to fall outside. Fresh white snow covering everything like a blanket. If only one could cover everything like that.

"Coffee, Miss?" A voice interrupted her thoughts.

She looked over to see a man who looked vaguely familiar to her. She wondered if she'd seen him in Aldbourne. The accent was strangely familiar too. In any case, the warm beverage appealed to her, and she stuck her hand out to receive it. "Yes, please."

He gave her the cup, offering her a small smile. "Sorry we didn't have any tea."

"Not all of us Brits can only drink tea," she said, making a little joke.

He smiled. "Sorry, I just assumed."

"Thanks anyway," she indicated to the cup, savouring it's warmth as she sipped.

"Feeling better?"

"Much better, thanks," she replied. "My head hurts a little."

"That can happen when you sleep so long,"

"How long was I out, exactly?" she asked, curiously.

"About two days."

She raised her eyes in disbelief. "I'll be awake for days now."

"Maybe,"

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Eugene Roe," he told her. "I'm a Medic, Miss."

"Was it your idea to put up the curtain for me?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he nodded.

"Thank you," she said earnestly. "Did Bill tell you what happened?"

"Only what he wanted me to know," Eugene said, standing up to leave. He turned back for a final second before he went. "If I may say though, Miss. I think you're incredibly brave."

…………………….

Bill smiled fondly as he watched Lily hungrily wolf down the bowl of food he'd brought her for dinner.

"I see you've got your appetite back," he smiled.

"Two days Bill," she said between mouthfuls. "I haven't eaten in two days. I could eat you."

"I'd rather you didn't," he chuckled. He waited patiently until she finished and set down the bowl. "I cleared it with my Captain. He said you can stay here while we try and contact the Lime…Brits so that we can get you back home safely."

"Thanks Bill," she said, reaching out and squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes.

He blushed. "I haven't done nothing, really."

"You're taking care of me," she smiled. "You've been there for me. You saved my life."

"I'd do it all again," he patted her hand reassuringly. He cleared his throat. "So…do you want to talk about what happened?"

She stiffened up. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"What is there to talk about?" she said snapped, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry."

"I just thought you might want to talk about…y'know, because it's not everyday that _you_…"

"kill someone?" she whispered the end of his sentence.

"Well…yes,"

"I never thought I would," she admitted, looking out of the window at the falling snow. She looked back down at her lap. "Do you think I'm going to hell now?"

"No," he insisted. "Not at all. If that's the case then me and every other soldier in this war would be going to hell too when this is all done. No, Lily. You're not going to hell. If anything she's in hell right now. She was a bad girl Lily, the reason all of your friends are dead."

"I know," she whispered, the memory still painful to her. "But am I really any better than her if I took her life?"

"She was dying anyway, Lily," he said. "Anyway. There are bad people in this world, people who have to be brought to justice. That's what we soldiers have to believe anyway, otherwise what the hell are we doing here?"

She nodded. "For as much as I think I maybe shouldn't have done it and however it puts me with God…I don't actually regret it. I hate her, Bill. To the core of my being.

"At least you know now what it is to truly hate," he reasoned, pointing over to her things lying in the corner, her satchel and coat. "You still have all of the files. You can get them to the Resistance now."

"I don't think they'll do any good now," she said. Suddenly a thought flashed in her head. She sat bolt upright in bed. "Christian!"

"What?" Bill asked tensely as she began to attempt to get out of bed. He stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I have to go and see Christian! What if they got to him? He might be dead!" she said, struggling to get up.

"No, Lily. You can't go there. It's too dangerous for you. You have to stay here where we can protect you," he argued.

"No, Bill! I_ need_ to know if he's alright," she insisted.

He frowned, part of him annoyed that she cared so much. " Well, _you_ can't go. I'll arrange for some of the boys to go and see if he's alright."

"Promise?" she looked at him nervously.

"Of course," he promised.

………………..

That night Lily couldn't sleep. She lay awake in bed, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't stop thinking about Christian. Bill hadn't come back to tell her of any news and her mind was racing with worry. He had no idea the Nazis had been summoned by Aurélie. He could be attacked at any moment and he wouldn't know it was coming. Besides, part of her knew that he'd have gone to the brothel by now and would have seen the dead girls, and not being able to find her would be making him worry terribly. She wanted to put his mind at ease as well as her own. No. She couldn't sit here just wondering. She got out of bed, and slowly tiptoed over to put on her coat and satchel. She knew Bill would be angry if he found out she was gone, but she hoped he'd understand. Quietly as possible, she crept out of the infirmary.


	18. Chapter 18 more goodbyes

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 18

Note- Soooooorrrrrrrry it's taken me soooooo long to update. I got soooo snowed under with university work and then the exams started lol. I had my last one on Friday though so I thought I'd celebrate by writing another chapter :P. Enjoy! I'll try and wrap this story up over the Christmas break (appropriately, haha!) since next semester looks like it's gonna be even more work than the last : (

……………………………

_Knock, knock_.

Anxiously on her tiptoes at his door, Lily was sure she could hear light footsteps coming from within. Maybe he was wary as to who was on the other end of the door.

"Christian," she whispered desperately. "Christian, it's me!"

He threw open the door, relief flooding through his face. He only let it play on his face for a moment though, before quickly pulling her inside, shutting the door and enveloping her in a tight embrace.

"Oww," she moaned lightly against the force of his body. She was still weak from the past few days.

"Sorry," he apologised, gently releasing her. "I was just so worried."

She blinked at him. "Bill didn't tell you I was back?"

"No," Christian shook his head, confused. "Why would he?"

"I've been staying at his barracks. He said he was going to find you to tell you that I was alright and make sure that you were okay."

"He didn't come to see me,"

Lily tapped her foot angrily on the carpet. He'd promised. Her expression softened as she got back to the matter at hand. "You've been to Lulu's then?"

He nodded as he led her down to a seat on the sofa. "I hadn't heard from you in a while, so I went to see if you were okay and I saw…. I didn't see you anywhere though. I though they'd taken you."

"I think they would have...," she looked down, realising it for the first time. "If I'd been there. It was me they were coming for."

She began to cry, the emotion catching up with her from the past few days. "Those girls, Christian. They didn't do anything wrong. If I hadn't…"

"Don't blame yourself," he squeezed her shoulder. "None of this is your fault. You've been doing a great job. Put the blame where it belongs, here! It was the Naz-…"

"It was Aurélie," Lily informed him. "She told them everything."

His eyes turned steely. "Aurélie…"

"I killed her, Christian," she whispered, quietly.

"You did?" He said, nodding as though he could understand it.

"She was already dying. She thought they'd take her with them to the Unit Commander, but they shot her too. She was almost gone when I arrived, but then she told me everything…it made me so angry. I couldn't control myself. I shot her."

"Where did you get a gun?"

"Bill," she said quietly. "I was with Bill."

"Oh," he looked down, taking everything in.

"I've been in a hospital bed for the past few days," she continued, sensing his discomfort. "I wanted to see if you were alright. I knew you'd be worried…and I was worried they'd come for you too."

He shook his head lightly. "My name isn't directly linked to the Resistance. Not printed anywhere, anyway."

Lily nodded, looking around. She frowned as she saw the open suitcase with folded clothing sitting next to it on top of the kitchen table. Confused, she turned back to him. "You're leaving? I thought you just said…"

"Well, I'm still cautious," he smiled meekly. "Not so much for myself…for my parents. I wanted to get them out of here for the time being, but they insisted I promise to join them at a later stage before they went ahead…but I didn't want to go until I knew that you were alright."

Lily looked down as he stomach flopped. Much as she understood, she didn't want him to leave. He was a rock for her here. She cleared her throat. "Where…where will you go?"

"Perpignan. We have family there to visit. My parents left yesterday. It's Christmas I suppose anyway…it's a good time to go,"

"I suppose…," she said, nodding supportively. She knew it was safer for him if he left Mourmelon. She stood up, walking slowly to the suitcase. "Do you want some help to pack?"

Gratefully, he nodded. She followed him over to the suitcase and chuckled. "Men can never pack suitcases."

"Feel free to take over," he rolled his eyes, stepping aside as she moved in and began to refold the crumpled garments.

They stood side-by-side in silence for several moments until she uttered. "I found Isabelle."

He was silent for a moment. "You found her?"

"Yes," Lily continued, placing a sweatshirt into the suitcase. "She was at the train station, getting on a train out of town… with the German."

He raised his eyebrows. "I see."

"Do you think badly of her now," she asked, looking over at him, her hands never stopping folding.

He thought for a moment. "No. It's unfair Lulu had to die because of it…but, then, people do illogical things for love."

"You sound as though you have a story there," she said, eyeing him interestedly.

"It's nothing," he gave her a small smile, turning away to fill up a cup with water.

"Tell me," she insisted, staring back down into the suitcase.

"Well," he said, folding his arms and leaning against the worktop. "I understand because…Isabelle and I were once…"

"Once…?" she questioned, furrowing her brow.

"Once together,"

"Really?" she asked, raising her eyes in surprise, shifting her weight awkwardly.

"Yes," he nodded. "When we were just kids, around 15 or so."

"What happened," Lily asked, interested.

"Her father," he said, a reminiscent looking spreading over his face. "The noble politician. He never thought I was good enough for her…with plans of being a postman's apprentice after I left school."

"So you left her?"

"She left me," He chuckled. "The bond between her and her father was so strong…all he had to do was say the word."

"Oh," she said, looking down. "Do you still…have feelings…."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Young love isn't worth much. You can only learn from it…it's the love that comes later that counts."

"So why do you think she defied her father this time?" she asked curiously.

"Perhaps…," he speculated, sipping from his water glass. "She finally realised that her father wasn't the centre of the universe."

"Perhaps," she said, standing back to admire the freshly packed suitcase. "All done."

He walked over, nodding in his head in approval as he peered inside. He jabbed her lightly and playfully in the ribs. "Good work. You'll make a good, little wife someday."

She blushed, laughing.

They stared at each other for a moment, his eyes boring into hers. Finally, he broke the contact by walking over to the window and staring outside. "It'll be light soon."

"I hadn't even realised," she said, rubbing her eyes as she suddenly realised how tired she was becoming, still weak.

"I'm surprised Bill let you come here alone," He observed, staring back at her.

"He doesn't know," she said, yawning. "I came here in secret."

"You rebel," he raised his eyes, amused, before turning back to the window. "Still, I suppose it can't be long before Prince Charming tracks you down."

"You're probably right," she laughed, patting her hands on the completed suitcase. "So…would you mind if I accompanied you to the station?"

"Do you want to?" he asked, smiling at her. "It might not be safe."

"I know," she said resolutely, putting on her coat.

…………………………………………..

Lily sat at a secluded out-of-sight table in the Station café, guarding Christian's suitcase as she watched him ask the Barista, who had just opened up for the morning, for two coffees. She felt a hollowness in her stomach, a sense that everything was coming to an end. She hated saying goodbyes in general, and this was going to be extra hard. She'd come to depend on Christian like a rock during her time here.

"Deep in thought?" He asked, breaking her thoughts as he set two steaming cups down on the table.

"A little," she replied, putting on a light smile.

"Will you miss me?" he teased gently from across the table.

She laughed, tutting. "Of course I will. Need you even ask?"

"You could always come with me," he said, earnestly yet flatly, knowing she would say no.

"No," she said, sounding out his thoughts. "I couldn't. I have parents to get home to too."

"I knew you would say that," he smiled warmly. They sat in silence for a few moments, before he raised his cup at her in a toast. "Well, here's to you making it home for Christmas."

"Here's hoping," she clinked his glass.

"Well," he said, draining the last drops from his cup as he looked up at the clock. "I suppose it's time for me to…."

She looked up at the clock, desperately wishing she could stall him a bit longer. She knew she couldn't. Standing up, she followed him through to the platforms. They began looking for the announcement board to see which platform Christian had to be on to get to Perpignan.

"There you are!" A voice cried out from behind them.

Lily whipped her head round to see Bill striding towards them, his face red with anger. "Where have you been? I've looked everywhere! Christian's house, Lulu's, the town centre…"

"I'm okay, Bill," she said, putting her hands on his shoulders to reassure him.

"Why did you run off?" he demanded.

"Because," she said, pushing him away as anger momentarily flashed within her. "You said you'd send someone over here to check on him!"

"I…," he looked down, knowing he was caught out. "I meant to. I just… was concerned with getting you better."

She softened, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know. I just had to find out though for myself…I hope you understand."

"I do, but it's really not safe for you to be here," he said, taking her hand as if to lead her away. Suddenly he looked at the suitcase on the floor and looked back at her and Christian. "Woah. What is this? Are you taking off with him?"

"What?" She asked, then looked over at the suitcase.

"Are you leaving?" He asked, blinking at her.

"What?" She asked, looking at case. "Oh no. No, no. I'm not…Christian is."

"That's right, I am," Christian said, coming up behind them with his arms folded.

"Oh," Bill said, looking up, almost relieved. "Well, if you think that's for the best."

"I do," he replied, gruffly.

"Come on," Bill stretched his hand out towards Lily. "We better get you back to barracks before the sun comes up."

"Don't exaggerate Bill," Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's okay, Lily," Christian said. "You can leave. I have to go to my train anyway…and he's right, it's not really safe for you."

"But I wanted to see you get on the train," she said, her spirit falling. She turned to Bill, her eyes pleading. "Could you wait for me outside. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Bill looked at her doubtingly, then his face softened. "Course I will."

Before he left, Bill extended his hand to Christian, who stared it at, shocked, for a few seconds, before taking it and giving it a firm shake. "Best of luck to ya, pal."

Watching Bill walk out of the station, Lily turned to Christian. "I suppose this is goodbye."

"Not necessarily," he said, giving her one of his trademark warm smiles. "You're free to come and visit me anytime. I hope you will…when _this_ is all over."

"You can count on that," she promised, her tear falling down her cheek.

"Now, now, what's this?" He clucked his tongue, wiping it away. "No tears."

"You've been such a good friend to me," she said emotionally. "You helped me survive here."

"Well you deserved it. You risked your life to come here and help us…and you did us proud," he said pulling her towards him in a hug. "I wish you all the luck in the world, Lily."

"Thank you," She said, taking in his familiar, comforting smell. "I hope you find someone who deserves you."

"And I hope you do too," he chuckled. "And if you decide that that person is Bill and not me…well, then I'll try and be happy for you."

She laughed. The station conductor rung his bell, indicating it was the last chance to board the train.

"Well," she said, wiping at her eyes, but managing to joke. "You'd better get going…and keep it short. I hate goodbyes."

"So I've noticed," he said, wiping then away as they fell. He took both of her hands, and planted a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Goodbye."

She watched him walk off and, when he was out of sight, she wiped at her face and walked outside to meet Bill. She found him leaning against the army jeep he'd come in, arms folded uneasily.

"Hi," She said quietly as she approached him, leaning against the jeep beside him.

"You okay?" he asked, gruffly.

"Yes," she said, turning to him. "I'm sorry I ran off."

"It's okay. I understand…I guess I admire your…what's the word you brits use?"

"…gumption?" she suggested.

"That's the one," he clicked his fingers, nodding.

They were silent for a few seconds, watching the snow falling around them.

"You really thought I was leaving with him?" she asked.

"Well…yeah," he said, letting out a laugh. Suddenly he blurted out. "Do you have feelings for him?"

She was slightly taken aback. "No. Well, not like _that_ anyway. He was a really good friend to me, though. I hate saying goodbye to people."

"Well all do," he agreed.

"It's just…," she continued. "Over here I feel like…like I'm losing everyone I care about."

"How do you think a soldier feels every day over here?" he pointed out, stroking her shoulder sympathetically.

She nodded, trying to brighten up the subject. "So…forgiven me for running away?"

"Maybe," he said, looking at her playfully.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, stifling a laugh.

Without warning, he reached down and picked up a handful of snow, throwing it at her. "Now you're forgiven."

Gasping and laughing at the same time, she bent down to pick up an even bigger pile of snow. "I'll get you for that."

……………………..


	19. Chapter 19 The British Are Coming

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 19

…………………………………….

Note- I hope everyone had a LOVELY Christmas!!

Also, I realise I've made a slight mistake here in suggesting that Winters approved Lily being at the base and speaking to her when technically at that point he would have been in Paris. Oops, let's just disregard that fact for the purpose of the story, lol.

Also, I'd really like to recommend a French War Film to you guys. It's called "Female Agents" and it's about French women involved with the SOE like _Lily_. I just watched it the other day and it's amazing!! You haaaave to watch it, lol.

………………………………………..

**December 16****th**

Having just crept back into her bed moments before, Lily tried to do her best impression of having been sleep for several hours. She could hear Eugene walking slowly up the infirmary, checking on everyone and chatting with them. She and Bill had made it back to the infirmary just in the nick of time. They'd seen him Eugene walking over in the distance from barracks for morning check-up at the infirmary. With a quick smile at Bill, she'd climbed as quickly as possible down from the jeep and raced up past the beds to get to her curtained-off section. She didn't feel like going into the ins and outs of where she'd been. It was too complicated. Her heart beating, she heard his footsteps approaching closer towards her. Suddenly he whipped the curtain back and stepped inside. She kept her eyelids pressed firmly together and tried to make her breathing as rhythmic as possible.

"I know you're awake," he sighed.

_Damn_.

"How did you know?" she asked, opening one eye.

"Because," he said, sitting down on the chair by her bed. "In all the time you've spent asleep in this infirmary, which if I may say is a _lot_, you've never kept your back to the window."

"Oh," she said, wondering what that meant psychologically.

"Maybe that's why I didn't sleep well last night," she lied.

"Hmm, is that right?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "It's just one of the fellas out there said he saw you run right past him fully-clothed not even a few minutes ago."

Her eyes darting panickedly for a second, she put on a smile and sat slowly up in bed, clucking her tongue. "Eugene, Eugene, Eugene. You must remember, a lot of these men are delirious with fever. How can they really know what they saw?"

"Hmm," he said, clearly unconvinced. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Better," she said, actually meaning it. "My head doesn't have that dull ache anymore."

"Well, that's a good sign," he beamed, shifting in the chair. "Maybe you can get up and walking again today."

"Maybe…," she said, trailing off.

"What?" he questioned.

She broke into a big yawn, rushing to cover her mouth. Grinning sheepishly at him, she uttered. "I think I might just need to have a little sleep first."

…………………………..

A few hours later, she awoke. She stared groggily around her, wondering what time it was. Everything was silent in the infirmary. So peaceful. As she watched the snow falling slowly outside the window, she reflected on what a journey this had been…and how soon it would all be over. She could picture her mother at home, preparing the house for Christmas. Or would she even bother this year without her children at home? She thought of everyone she'd met and lost throughout this whole experience: the girl at training- what had become of them?; Christian; Oskar- had he made it through the war? What would become of him after the Nazis were defeated, which they surely would be soon? She said a little prayer as she thought of Lulu and the girls, her biggest regret. She knew their deaths would remain her biggest regret for the rest of her life.

Suddenly a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Awake?"

She looked over to see Bill's familiar face. She couldn't help but beam back. "Yes. What time is it?"

"12.30," he said. "You only slept a few hours."

"You too," she pointed out, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"How do you feel?" he asked, walking over to her and standing over her.

"Much better," she said. "I think I'm back to my old self."

He smiled fondly. "Hungry?"

"Like you can't imagine," she said, honestly, realising herself just how hungry she was.

"Get dressed then," he said, pulling the curtain open to leave and give her privacy. "The Captain says I can bring you to the mess hall to eat lunch with the fellas."

…………………….

Happily smoking a cigarette and feeling at ease as they'd walked to the mess hall, Lily's stomach flopped as she walked through the double doors. It was more men in one space than she'd ever seen in her life and they all seemed grow silent as they entered. She stayed close to Bill as he led her through the tables.

"Bill," she whispered to him nervously. "Why are they all looking at me?"

"You're the first girl they've seen for God knows how long," he chuckled then raised his voice. "Back to your meals, fellas!"

Smiling politely as conversations resumed over the hall, Bill led her to the end of a long row of tables. As she sat down on the bench, she recognised some of the faces around her from Aldbourne. They beamed back at her.

Bill, stood up. "I'll go get us something to eat. Play nice, fellas."

"We always do, Bill," Babe sniggered after him.

"Look who we have here then," one smiled playfully at her.

She recognized him instantly by his excitable, cheeky face as George Luz. "Hello, George. Good to see you again."

"You too," he said, taking her hand and planting a kiss on it. He leaned into her. "By the way, I know there are a lot of fields around this place…but that doesn't mean you'll have me working as a farm hand this time."

She stifled a laugh at the memory.

"So," Malarkey cut in. "Who'd have thought the polite, British girl would be secretly workin' as a spy. You gonna come work for us now."

"Well," Babe pretended to ponder it. "If she can shoot a gun like she can throw a dart…"

She chuckled, playing along. "Naturally, I'd be a great help to you all, unfortunately I'm out of here as soon as they can get me home."

Luz leaned forward, interested. "So, go on. What's it like being a spy? What kinda things did you see?"

She took a long breath, not wanting to get too much into the subject of the brothel. Painful memories.

"Shut up, Malark. She couldn't tell us even if she wanted to. There's a code," Joe Toye butted in, sensing her discomfort. He'd been there the day she shot Aurélie…seen the effect it had had on her.

"Thanks," she mouthed at home, meeting his eyes only briefly before he looked in the opposite direction. She frowned, able to tell he was wary of her.

Bill reappeared, setting a tray down in front of her. She looked down at it, casting a doubtful glance over the greyish glop on the plate.

Babe laughed. "I know it don't look like it…but I promise it _is_ food."

"That's good enough for me, then," she laughed, picking up her fork and tucking in, starving.

"Not quite in the same league as your ma's cakes, huh?" Bill said, amusedly watching her eat.

She smiled fondly as she thought of their visit to Aldbourne. A thought suddenly struck her. "How is David Webster?"

Bill hesitated a moment before putting another forkful into his mouth, saying simply. "Got shot in the leg."

"He'll be off in a hospital somewhere," Toye added.

"He should be back by now," someone muttered from further down the table.

"That's a shame," Lily said, frowning.

"Don't feel bad for him," Bill laughed. "Safer there than he would be here, that's for sure."

"I suppose," she pondered, chewing.

"So…you can play darts. Can you play craps?" Malarkey enquired casually.

"Craps?" she repeated, confused.

"I guess not, then," Babe laughed, looking down.

"Yeah, we're playing tonight if you're interested," Malarkey said, smiling a bit too earnestly for her liking.

George leaned over to her. "He just wants more players so he can get more money."

She raised her eyebrows, amused. "How can he be so sure he'll win."

"Sounds like a challenge to me," Luz laughed.

"You in, then?" Malarkey asked.

"Um…yes, alright," she said, enjoying feeling part of a group again since the girls at the brothel.

"I'll explain the rules to you later," Bill whispered in her ear. She smiled at him.

Suddenly, a horn sounded from outside and the room seemed to spring into action, with all of the men shuffling out of the door.

Lily looked around, confused. "What's happening, Bill?"

"Drills," he rolled his eyes. "It's all we do here."

She moved to stand up too but he motioned for her to sit back down. "Stay and finish eating. I'll catch up with you when we're done. We won't be long."

Nodding, she sat back down, pushing forkfuls into her mouth whilst looking around the now empty hall. Deciding she couldn't eat any more, she pushed the plate away and leaned back in her chair.

"Excuse me, Miss," A voice came from behind her.

She turned round to see a small man staring back at her. "Yes?"

"Captain Winters would like to see you," He said, matter-of-factly.

_Bill's Captain,_ she pondered to herself. "He would?"

"Yes, ma'am," He nodded, motioning her to follow him out of the room. "Please come with me."

…………………

He led her along several corridors until they came to several official-looking offices. He stopped briskly outside one, and opened the door for her to go inside. Slowly, she stepped into the room, looking at the red-haired man who'd stood up to greet her.

"That'll be all, Szalinsky," he said to the man, motioning for him to leave. "Please close the door."

"Sir," the man replied politely, following the order.

When they were alone he stuck out his hand and offered her a handshake. "Captain Winters."

"Lily Stone," she replied, shaking his head then adding quietly. "Sergeant Stone."

"Nice to finally meet you, _Sergeant_ Stone.," he said, motioning to the chair in front of his desk. "Please have a seat."

"Thank you, Sir," she said, sitting down on the soft chair. "You wanted to see me about something?"

"Yes, I did," He said, picking up a piece of paper and looking at it. "We've had a response from the British about getting you home."

"Oh?" her eyes lit-up.

"Looks like you'll be home in time for Christmas," he smiled at her. "They're coming for you tonight."

"Tonight?" she repeated, feeling a sinking in her stomach. She hadn't expected it to be _so_ soon. Still, she was getting what she'd wished for all those nights- she was going to be home in Aldbourne in time for Christmas.

Confused at her unease, he continued. "There's a unit on their way to meet a boat home. They'll pick you up on the way and you can get on the boat with them."

She forced a smile onto her face. Something began to plague her.

"I'm sure your family will be happy to see you again," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"Indeed," she said, looking down.

"Sergeant, don't you want to go home?" he asked, confused. "I'm sure any one of my men would trade places with you in an instant."

She shook her head firmly. "No, Sir, I _am_ happy to be going home. It's just I'll…I'll miss…you have a good group of men here, Sir."

He nodded, smiling proudly. "You don't have to tell _me_ that."

She stood up. "Well, I should go and pack, Sir."

He nodded.

She turned back as she began to leave. "Thank you so much, Sir, for allowing me to stay when I was in danger."

…………………………..

After she'd left Captain Winters' office, she began to amble her way back to the infirmary to prepare her belongings. She couldn't shake the feeling in her stomach. It wasn't just the thought of saying goodbye to Bill, something which she knew would hurt her dearly, but it was something else as well.

Entering her curtained area in the infirmary, she reached for her backpack but, feeling sluggish, sat down on the bed, her shoulders slumping.

"You okay?" Eugene's voice came from behind her, joining her in her makeshift bedroom.

"I'm going home," she blurted out.

"Oh," he said, surprised. "That was fast."

"Wasn't it?" she said, raising her eyes, equally as surprised.

"It's good though," he said, sitting next to her, offering her a hopeful smile. "Home for Christmas. I'd happily trade with you."

"It _is_ good news," she said unconvincingly, standing up and attempting to busy herself with packing.

"You don't seem very happy about it," he joked. "Will you miss Sergeant Guarnere that much?"

"Of course I will," she smiled at him.

He watched her pack silently for a few moments.

"Eugene," she said quietly.

"Yes?"

"You haven't killed anyone during this war, have you?" she asked, turning round to look at him.

"No," he shook his head.

"I didn't think you had," she said, worriedly. "Your face looks…_different_ to the other men who have."

He looked confused. "So?"

"I'm worried that the face gives it away…," she tailed off, sitting back down. "I don't know how much Bill told you about what happened the day I came here but…."

"I _know_," he said, patting her hand sympathetically, indicating that she needn't explain any further.

"Well," she swallowed. "What if I go home and my mother can…can tell that I've…. I couldn't bear that, I couldn't."

"Well…," he thought for a moment. "Perhaps it's only apparent to those who've been in situations such as we have."

"Perhaps," she nodded thoughtfully. "Do you think she'd be disappointed in me?"

"No," he clucked his tongue at her. "Of course _not_. War is murder…but for one side, it's murder for the right reasons, and those reasons are about stopping an evil force. So, if you did it for the right reasons…"

"I did," she insisted.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," he said, his tone have a reassuring effect on her.

She smiled. "Thanks, Eugene."

"Am I interrupting?" came Bill's voice from behind them.

She turned round to look at him. "No, not at all. Come in."

"I'll leave you two alone," Eugene said, sensing Bill wouldn't like her news.

"Thanks again, Eugene…for everything," she said earnestly as he left.

"My pleasure," he said, his Louisiana drawl stronger than ever. He left them alone.

"How were your drills?" she asked, trying to keep a breezy tone.

"Boring," he said, rolling his eyes. He looked at her backpack lying on the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Packing," she said in the same tone. She put on a smile as she looked at him. "Captain Winters gave me some news. I'm going home tonight."

Bill stopped for a minute, his face fell. In a second, however, he'd composed himself and put a huge smile on his face. "That's great! Wow!"

She smiled at his dismal attempt. "Let's neither of us pretend we're overly happy about it,"

She motioned for him to sit next to her.

"Nah, I aint happy, really," he said, doing as she instructed. "It's a breath of fresh air having you round here, but it is good that you're goin home. We'll probably be movin' out again soon and…at least you'll be home for Christmas. I bet your ma does a good Christmas Cake."

She laughed, stifling a sob. It was amazing how comfortable he made her feel in times like this. She joked. "Extra raisins."

They were silent for a moment. She reached out for his hand, both of their eyes looking downs as their fingers intertwined. Moving closer, she began to trace the length of his fingers with her free hand. Slowly, their eyes met, each conveying a burning sense of need.

"Maybe we should skip the card game later," she whispered. "And go somewhere quiet?"

Resolutely, he nodded. "I know a place."

…………………………..

"What is this?" she asked as he led her into the large room full of mountain of white materials, like huge snow dunes.

"Parachute storage," he chuckled at her raised eyebrows. "We gotta put them somewhere when we aint jumpin'."

"Apparently," she laughed.

He led her behind one of the largest piles. It was so high, she felt as if they'd been cut off from the world. Like it was just the two of them. Pulling one of the parachutes from the top, Bill spread it on the floor for them to lie on like a large, fluffy sheet.

Without further question, she lay down on it, enjoying the comfort. He lay next to her, and they looked up at the ceiling in silence.

"So, do you think we'll run into each other again at some point?" she joked.

"Not on the continent, anyway," he laughed. "We had our one turn there."

"So this is it?" she asked, putting on a pout.

"No, it's not it," he said, putting on a pretend serious face. "…I know where you live."

She made a show of putting on a gasp.

"Would you want me to come visit?" he asked tentatively.

"As soon as possible," she reassured him.

He nodded contentedly, still in the joking mood. "That's what I'll do then. I'll swing by Aldbourne, throw you over my shoulder and take you back to Philly with me on a boat."

"Oh, is that right?" she burst out laughing.

"That's right," he laughed. "Oh wait, what am I thinkin'? You'll be a pilot by then so you could fly us there."

She didn't reply, just smiled fondly as she stared at the ceiling.

"I really think you'd like Philly," he said, his tone growing serious.

"Maybe I would," she said, rolling onto her side and putting a hand on his chest.

"At least this time it aint goodbye," he said, rolling over to look her in the face.

"That's right," she said, getting lost in his eyes as she subconsciously began to move in to kiss him. She paused. "Just as long as you can…you know…make it through the war."

"What an incentive," he chuckled.

He reached a hand out and began to stroke her arm, his eyes travelling up to meet hers once more. Swiftly, yearningly, he leaned over and caught her lips in a soft, tender kiss. Pulling her in closer, their kisses deepened, growing desperate. They both knew where it would lead.

…………………………….

Lying in each others arms and wrapped up in the parachute as a makeshift blanket, they dozed. She tried hard not to fall asleep, however, she knew she'd be being picked up soon. His arms were just so comfortable.

"Hey," she whispered. "Don't fall asleep. We can't fall asleep."

"I'm not falling asleep," he said, as his eyes began to close.

"Hey," she said, flicking him on the nose.

His eyes sprang open. He said dryly: "Thanks….I'm up now."

She laughed. "We should get up. I'll miss my ride at this rate."

Not wanting to let her go, he knew she was right. "They're showing a movie in the mess hall. We could watch that until they come?"

She thought for a moment. "What movie?"

"I think…Seven Sinners,"

"Ooh, okay," she smiled, detangling herself from Bill for what she hoped wouldn't be the last time.

Hurriedly, they dressed.

………………………..

Nonchalantly as possible, they crept into the mess hall and into seats behind George Luz, hoping it wouldn't be too obvious as to what they'd just been doing. Everyone around could have cared less, however, as all eyes lay fixed onto the screen. Instinctively, Bill reached down and began to caress her hand as they watched. She smiled, and pretended to focus on the screen.

"_Got a Penny?_" Luz imitated Marlene Dietrich on the screen, much to the chagrin of Joe Toye sitting in front of him. She smiled to herself.

Just as she was enjoying soaking up the atmosphere for the last time, she barely noticed Winters' orderly, Szalinsky, walk up and stand beside her. "Miss, the British are here for you."

Wishing he hadn't said it, she turned round to face him. "Thank you."

She and Bill exchanged a look fuelled with emotions. She was about to open her mouth to say something, anything really to fill the void, when the lights sprang on in the mess hall as an officer strode briskly up to the screen. The light a shock to her senses, she didn't really take in any of what he was announcing to the room…other than that they were moving out too. Blinking, she looked over at Bill, who looked back at her.

"Nice timing, huh?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Mmm hmmm," she agreed.

…………………….

Outside, the boys had taken a few minutes from assembling their gear to say goodbye to her. She smiled at them all as she hugged them one by one.

"Think of us when you're eating your Christmas Turkey, huh?" Luz said with overtones of sadness as he hugged her goodbye.

She chuckled. "Take care of yourself, George."

As they were all called to get back to packing, she bade them a final farewell, praying silently to herself that they'd all survive the war.

Finally, she and Bill stared back at each other once more.

"Miss, we really must hurry," a broad Glasgow accent came from behind her.

"In a minute," she promised, turning back to Bill. "Well, I guess this is goodb-"

"No," he silenced her. "Not goodbye, remember."

"Goodbye for now," she corrected herself, offering him a faint smile.

"Goodbye for now," he replied. He shivered against the cold as he looked at her with longing. "One for the road?"

She opened her eyes in surprise, blushing. "I hardly think there's time to…."

"I meant a kiss, but hey if you want…," he joked.

Smiling, she silenced him by stepping forward and, briefly taking in his facial features beforehand, gave him a lingering, tingling kiss.

"Miss, I'm sorry to interrupt but we _really_…," the Scottish soldier repeated again, his voice desperate.

She broke off the kiss, nodding. "I'm coming."

"I don't think he wants to wait anymore," Bill chuckled, planting another quick kiss on her lips before releasing her from his embrace.

Pulling him gently towards her once more, she whispered into his ear. "You make sure and get through this war."

She began to walk to truck, the soldier helping her climb onboard.

"You boys make sure she gets home safe," Bill said to the soldiers on the truck.

As they shut the door on her, she pressed her face up against the glass. She looked out, not noticing the rabble of voices coming from the American soldiers all around, nor the numerous trucks arriving to take them to wherever they were next going. All she could see was Bill and, as the van roared into action, she kept her gaze on him until she could see him no more.


	20. Chapter 20 Merry Christmas

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 20

………………………..

**December 19****th****, 1944**

"Excuse me!" Lily said loudly, pushing her way through crowds of British soldiers and seamen, all on the way back to good old Blighty.

She didn't much care for the boat. With hardly any space to move around and the body heat of hundred stifling her, she felt she was amongst cattle being herded off. Similarly, she couldn't seek solace on the decks, with the wintry sea breezes chilling her to her core. No, instead she was forced to walk around, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, in order to avoid…

"Alright darlin'?" A cocky, cockney accent boomed at her from a bunk bed nearby. He winked at her and patted his hands off of his lap suggestively. "Lookin' for a place to rest your legs. Why don't you rest them right here?"

Livid, she turned to face the gap-toothed soldier, looking overly proud of himself. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard," he replied.

She walked towards him slowly, looking him square in the eyes, her own eyes like thunder. "Say that to me again, and I promise you I'll make sure there's nothing left there for me to sit on."

Turning on her heel she flounced off, pushing her way once more through the directionless bodies milling about everywhere. She yawned, frustrated. She hadn't had any sleep at all since the boat had set off the day before. Bunks on board were limited and quickly taken by the soldiers, only offering them up to her if she would, in their words, "let them bunk in". A none-too-appealing offer. She forced her way in the direction of the mess hall, hoping she'd be able to find an empty chair to sit down on. As she pushed her way towards the stairs she felt a hand take an overly generous feel of her backside.

"Who was that?" She shouted angrily to the crowd, turning round and shoving the man directly behind her. "Think you're clever?"

Giving her a blank look, he shuffled past her. Dissatisfied, she began to march after him when a hand reached out suddenly and yanked her into a tiny room. Yelping and reeling from the surprise, Lily looked around and realised she was in a tiny store cupboard, containing ration packets amongst other things. However, what caught her eye more, and only obvious from the tiny stream of light poking through a small top window, was the sight of Annie Radford, her old friend from SOE training. Lily clamped a hand over her mouth to suppress a cry of surprise. "Annie?!"

"Lily," Annie smiled back. "I thought it was you!"

The girls embraced, nearly squeezing the life out of each other.

"I can't believe you're…," Lily began.

"What? Alive?" Annie laughed, finishing her sentence.

"Well, yes," Lily replied honestly.

"I'm a little surprised myself, if I'm honest," came Annie's reply. "I'm glad you're alive, too."

"Where were you stationed?" she asked excitedly. "Now that we can _actually_ talk about it!"

"Paris," Annie told her, repeating. "In Paris. Telecommunications, mostly."

"Dangerous?" she asked, interested.

"Not really," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "The worst it got was a few randy soldiers on leave who needed a telling-off every now and then."

Lily laughed. "I hope you really gave them hell."

"What about you?"

"Mourmelon," she replied. "…in a brothel."

"My oh my! Did you have to…you know," Annie raise her eyes suggestively.

"No, no," she shook her head. "Purely in a secretarial function…"

"Oh," Annie nodded thoughtfully. "Brothels have…secretaries?"

"I didn't think so either, but there you go," Lily gave a little laugh. Her face fell slightly as she reminisced. "But the whole thing was pretty…."

Annie leaned forward, putting a sympathetic hand over Lily's. She knew how she was feeling. "I know. I know."

"Yes, well," Lily said, composing herself. "Do you know what happened to the other girls? Have you heard anything?"

"Nothing," Annie shook her head. "Nothing at all. I only hope they're okay."

"We can only hope," Lily sighed, leaning back and relishing the ability to relax for the first time since she'd boarded the boat. Something struck her. "Annie…"

"Yes?"

"…why are you hiding in a store cupboard?" she asked, confused.

"Oh," Annie sighed exasperatedly. "I had to get away from these men and their…hands. You'd think they'd never seen a woman in…well, okay, they probably haven't, but STILL…!"

She just laughed. "You read my mind."

"Oh, that reminds me," Annie reached into her backpack and pulling out a uniform and soldier helmet. She handed them to Lily. "If you're out and about walking out there, I find it's helpful to wear these."

"Really?" Lily looked at the items doubtfully.

"Oh yes. If they think you're a bloke they'll leave you alone,"

"Hmm," she rapped her knuckles off of the metal helmet. "I think I might just sit in here until we dock."

"That was my plan too," Annie laughed.

…………………

**December 21****st****, 1944**

Climbing off of the bus, Lily breathed in the familiar peat and coal smells that permeated throughout Aldbourne. She was home. She couldn't believe she'd made it back, that she was seeing again the sights she thought she'd never see again when she'd left for France all those months ago. She braced herself against the elements as she began the walk to her house. Aldbourne had become a sea of white snow during the transition into winter, with icy blasts of wind to boot. _A white Christmas,_ she thought to herself.

When she finally arrived at her house, she found the door locked. She wondered where her family were, until she realised it was Sunday. They were all in church, of course. Instinctively, she reached down under the plant pot by the stairs and picked up the key her mother always left there. Her mother put it there in case Lily or her brother came home on leave and arrived at an unsociable hour…so they'd always be able to get home. Putting the key into the lock, she found that she couldn't bring herself to open it. She knew why, she didn't think she could face it. Instead, she opted to sit on the step and smoke a cigarette.

She puffed it until the end, trying to delay the inevitable. When she could delay it no more, she threw the butt away, opening the door and stepping inside. She breathed in the familiar smell of home, filling with her with both a sense of relief but also dread. Walking into the living room, she looked at the luxurious Christmas tree in the corner, adorned with baubles, she looked at the stocking hanging over the mantle bearing the names of her and her brother, _Lily_ and _James_. Bending down at the tree, she picked up one of the many boxes under the tree and read "To Lily, lots of love mummy and daddy" on the tag. Her mother had more hope than any other person she'd ever met in her life. It was everything she could have dreamed for this Christmas. Yet, it brought back to her everything she'd been through. All of the memories flooded back to her: Oskar's desperate kiss and all of his help; Christian's final goodbye at the station; Bill…just Bill; Lulu and the girls, lying dead in the brother and, mostly…killing Aurélie. Emotional and most of all exhausted, she crawled over to the sofa and lay down, pulling down the blanket that lay spread over it and wrapping it around herself as fat, quick tears rolled down her cheeks. She fell asleep there.

……………………..

Lily awoke, rubbing her eyes as she yawned and looked around her. She felt heat filling up the room as she looked over and saw the roaring fire in the hearth.

"Evening, sleepyhead," a voice came from the window.

She stood up, looking over at the window. "What…?"

Suddenly, she recognised who it was. It was her brother James, home for Christmas. Unable to conceal her delight, she ran towards him, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. It had been over two years since she'd seen him, they'd never made it home at the same time.

"Good to see you too, sis," he laughed. "But you are choking me ever so slightly."

"Sorry," she let him go.

"You look terrible," he said, amused, looking into her tired eyes.

"Thanks," she rolled her eyes. "Long trip."

"I thought so, " he raised his voice, shouting through to the kitchen. "She's awake!"

Mr and Mrs Stone emerged from the kitchen, embracing their daughter.

"You never said you were coming home for Christmas!" her mother chirped.

"Probably wanted to surprise us. Isn't that right, button?" her father smiled, kissing her on the forehead.

"Well, whatever the reason, I'm just glad to have all my family back together at the same time for Christmas," Mrs Stone beamed. "It's long overdue."

"We'll just have to make it a good one, then," her father declared.

Lily suddenly smelled the aroma of roast chicken wafting in from the kitchen and her rumbling stomach made her realise how hungry she was. "Is dinner ready? I'm starving."

"Just about," her mother laughed, ushering everyone into the kitchen. "Come on, you can help me set the table."

"So…," her father began as Lily began to set out the plates. "Anything interesting happen in the WAAFs whilst you were away?"

"No," she replied, not missing a beat. "Nothing."

………………………………..

**December 22****nd****, 1944**

Lily and her family walked into the annual chilren's carol concert slightly late, trying to slip unnoticed amongst those watching the carolling children and drinking mulled wine. Suddenly, as Lily had just reached for a slice of spiced cake, a large yell rose about the singing.

"LILY!" Hazel's voice boomed over the room, much to the chagrin of the spectators and the children alike.

Embarassed but happy to see her friend all the same, Lily welcomed Hazel's overpowering, excited embrace. "It's so good to see you!"

"You didn't write!" Hazel scolded. "You said you would this time!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Lily flushed. "It was just so…."

"Busy," Hazel rolled her eyes. "Typical!"

"Excuse me," a woman nearby narrowed her eyes. "This is a concert. Have some manners."

"Sorry," the girls said in unison, silencing themselves as they watched the children.

"Pssst," Hazel whispered into her ear. "Have you heard anything from Bill? Do you know anything about David?"

"Er…yes," She said, not wanting to trouble her best friend. "I got a letter from Bill…David's fighting fit."

"Good, good," Hazel smiled happily. "I _hope_ they come back again."

Lily sighed to herself. Her mission was over, yet she was still having to lie to her family and friends. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother sidling up to his childhood sweetheart. She could see the sparks between them reigniting as their eyes met. She couldn't help but smile, however secretly jealous she felt inside. She'd have given anything to have Bill with her at that moment.

…………………………..

**December 24****th****, 1944**

Bill and Buck shivered together in their foxhole, the cold literally ripping it's way through their bodies. Glistening, Christmassy white as it was, this forest was anything but homely. Bill found that the best way to cope was to try and zone out, shut out the cold. Suddenly, Buck interrupted him doing just this as he thrust a photograph in his face. Slightly startled, Bill took it, looking at it. Staring back at him was a picture of a smiling Buck and his girl.

"Good lookin' broad, Buck," Bill complimented his buddy.

"She's finished with me," Buck looked down, sadly.

Bill didn't know what to say. "Just in time for Christmas, huh. You're lucky though you have the memory…I don't even have a photo."

Bill looked away, wondering if Lily had made it home safely, hoping that at least one of them was having a Merry Christmas.

………………………..


	21. Chapter 21 Awaiting Letters and the ATA

How Far Would You Go For Your Country- chapter 21

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Lily hummed to herself as she carefully rolled out dough in the back of her mother's bakery, reflecting on the days gone past. Christmas had come and gone, taking the New Year along with it. She'd been surprised what a remedy home was for her soul. It was strange how much of her French experience she'd manage to put to the back of her mind (more intelligent people would calling it repression, but she was happier to say she'd just put it to the back of her mind). She couldn't put Bill to the back of her mind, however. She'd thought of him all through the holiday, praying that he was at least having a peaceful Christmas if a Christmas away from his own family. If only she'd known where he really was, she would have realised her prayers had been in vain.

"Dough ready, Sweetheart?" her mother interrupted her thoughts, coming into join in her in the back room.

"There we go," she said, snapping back to earth as she carefully passed it into her mother's hands. "What next?"

"These buns need iced," came the reply, her hand pointing to a cooling tray on the counter nearby.

Lily sauntered over, picking up the piping icing bag and scooping in some mixture.

Her mother exhaled loudly, as she had been doing over the past few days. Lily knew what it meant, that her mother had something on her mind. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

"Who? Me?" Mrs Stone asked nonchalantly, sighing, knowing her daughter could read her. "I was just wondering how long you'd be staying. You never usually stay so long.

Lily tensed slightly, not really knowing what to say. She'd tried to contact her old Commanding Officer at the WAAFs, as well as the SOE itself, but no luck with either. It was hard to get in contact with the higher-ups during Christmas, but she hoped they'd be back in touch with her soon so she could arrange some plans, if only not to arouse suspicion in her family. She joked. "Trying to get rid of me?"

Mrs Stone clucked her tongue. "Of _course_ not."

"I just have a few days of leave built up, that's all. I don't have to go back up so soon,"

"Oh," her mother nodded thoughtfully.

"It's just…," she lied. "I'd rather be here during the winter than up there. It's much colder up north, as I found out the hard way last winter."

"Well it's even colder this winter," her mother mused. "Uncommonly cold."

"So I think I'll stay longer, a little whilst anyway," she continued. "At least I can spend some time with James whilst he's here."

"That's true," her mother reasoned, finishing preparing the dough.

"By the way," Lily chanced her luck. "I don't suppose there was any post this morning, was there?"

Her mother thought for a second. "No, sorry. Why? Are you expecting something?"

"Um…no. I was just wondering," Lily put on a smile.

…………………………..

**January 14****th****, 1945**

Icing buns, and using baking as a method of self-distraction, Lily furrowed her brow in concentration and trying to pay attention to Hazel as she chattered away on a nearby stool.

"Let me tell you," Hazel chattered. "I relish my days off. Working on a farm in January weather is no piece of cake."

"At least it's not snowing anymore," Lily reasoned.

"No, but this rain is hardly any better," came the reply as Hazel motioned outside to the rain bashing off of the window as it plummeted down. She looked back at Lily. "Are you going back up to the airbase?"

"What?" Lily agitatedly blew the hair out of her eyes. "Of course I am. What kind of question is that?"

"Sorry," Hazel shifting uncomfortably in her chair. "I just wondered…since you'd been home for so long, longer then you usually are…"

Lily's face softened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. I guess…I guess I'm just reluctant to leave home."

"Why?"

"Because…," she chose her words carefully so as not to give anything away. "I've been away from home for so long, and the more I go…the more I miss what I have waiting for me."

"That's understandable," Hazel walked up to her and put a supportive arm around her shoulder. "Well whatever the reason, we're all glad to have you here."

"Morning girls," Mrs Stone entered the bakery, mug of tea in one hand, letters in another. She looked at her daughter's eyes zoning in on the letters as they did every mail day. She chuckled as she slowly set her mug down and slovenly sifted through the letter. "water bill, gas bill, letter from aunt Shirley…what's this now? A letter for Lily?"

Lily sprang to her mother. "Really?"

"Yes," Mrs Stone laughed, handing it over to her daughter and putting her out of her misery.

"Secret admirer?" Hazel looked knowingly at Mrs Stone. "Maybe it's from Bill. He was so in love with her during the summer."

Ignoring both of them, Lily studied that envelope, flipping it both ways. Her face fell when she saw the WAAF insignia on the back. She tore at the envelope, pulling out the paper and reading. It was from her Commanding Officer, congratulating her on her successful return and urging her to call at the earliest convenience.

"Well…?" her mother asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lily wiped her floury hands on her apron before removing it and hanging it up on the apron rack. "I need to pop out for a second."

"What?" Mrs Stone asked, surprised, pointing at the rain outside. "It's bucketing down!"

"I'll be right back!" She said, picking up her bag and running out.

Squeaking as she became instantly soaking, she toyed with the idea of going back in for an umbrella but decided she couldn't face the barrage of questions. Instead, she took off at a run, forcing her way through the freezing sheet rain, so icy it felt like it was cutting into her. As she ran, thoughts raced through her head. She was torn. She wanted to wait in Aldbourne in case Bill wrote to her, yet her extended presence was arousing too much suspicion. Maybe it would be better for her to go back. Making her way through the twisty streets of Aldbourne, she ran towards the red pillar phone box. She slotted in some coins and dialled the number.

"Hello?" came the receptionists voice.

"CO Masters, please,"

"Whom shall I say is speaking?" the receptionist rhymed off.

"Sergeant Stone,"

"One second please."

"Commanding Officer Masters, speaking," The CO's voice came after a few seconds silence.

"This is Sergeant Stone speaking," Lily said.

"Ah, Lily, thanks for phoning," Masters said fondly. She'd always like Lily, appreciating her drive and determination. "The wanderer returns."

"Indeed,"

"So, Sergeant, can we expect you back up in Northampton anytime soon?" Masters asked. "Are you still interested in a career in the WAAFs?"

"Of course," she replied rather doubtfully.

"Well, we have an offer to put to you anyway. Why don't you come up and we can discuss it further,"

"An offer?" she asked, her interest piqued. "What kind of offer?"

"Like I said, come up and we'll discuss it," Masters said, unwilling to give the game away.

"Alright, Ma'am," Lily said, her heart racing. "…but, erm, I can't make it up for another week or so. Is that alright?"

"In your own time, Sergeant,"

…………………………….

**January 25****th****, 1945- Northampton. **

After spending a week wondering why Bill hadn't written, Lily decided to give herself a good mental shake. He was busy fighting for his country, he'd get in touch when he could. Moreover, she was embarrassed at herself, putting a man before her duty to _her_ own country. Going slightly over the mentioned week, she eventually found herself on a train up to Northampton and back to her former airbase.

_Knock knock. _

"Enter," came Masters' voice from within.

Tentatively, Lily pushed open the door to see the pleasantly surprised face of her Commanding Officer. The two shook hands.

"Good to see you again, Sergeant Stone. Back in one piece, anyway," Masters said fondly.

"Did you expect otherwise?" Lily joked.

"Of course not," Masters stifled a chuckle. "Okay, why don't you have a seat."

Lily sat down on cue. "What did they tell you about where I was?"

"Only what they felt I needed to know," Masters admitted honestly. "But enough anyway to give me the impression somehow that returning to your old duties here on the base might not be exciting enough for you anymore."

"_Well…_," she bit her lip, not wanting to admit to it outright.

Masters laughed. "That's why I've been speaking to some of my friends in the ATA…do you know what that is, Lily?"

"The Air Transport Auxiliary?" she asked, trying to remember.

"That's right," Masters continued, leaning forward in her chair. "Now, Lily, you've made no secret of the fact that you want to fly."

Lily tensed in her chair. "Yes….?"

"Well they're always looking for pilots for the ATA, especially as this war intensifies. So, if you're interested, they'd be willing to transfer you and train you up,"

"…are you serious?" Lily couldn't believe her ears. It was what she'd always dreamed about.

"Well," Masters reasoned. "As I'm sure you know, the ATA is concerned with aircraft and supply delivery. I can't promise you dogfighting or anything of the sort, and it'll take time for you to pass all of the stages but it's flying at least."

"No, Ma'am, it sounds wonderful!" she couldn't stress that enough.

"I thought it was an offer you'd jump at," Masters smiled knowingly, straightening up some papers on her desk.

……………………………..

**February 12****th****, 1945**

Bill and Joe lay across from one another in their hospital beds, where they'd spent the last month or so trying to adjust to having just the one leg each. It had been such a frustrating time, with both of them feeling anger at the situation, missing the company and, the worst thing, the vivid nightmares of that awful day in the forest. Luckily, they'd had each other to support them during the early recovery. After so much time going stir crazy in their beds, they'd finally been told passage had been arranged on them on a boat home via England.

"I can't wait to see my ma again," Joe said, staring vacantly into space.

"Yeah," Bill agreed, but not really listening.

"So Bill," Joe rolled over on his side to face his buddy. "So, are you getting the big boat home with me or are you making your pit stop in England to look her up?"

Resolutely but sadly, Bill looked down. "Nah, I'm goin' back to Philly."

"Why?" Joe asked, confused.

"I don't want her to see this," Bill admitted, ashamed.

"I don't think she'll care, Bill," Joe said, trying to joke to keep his friend's spirits up. "Besides, the ladies go nuts for a war wound."

"If it's all the same, I think I'd better make sure that _I'm_ used to it before I can expect her to be."

"I can't believe you haven't even written her about it yet," Joe mused, rolling back over onto his back. "Or written her at all even."

"I don't think this is the kind of thing you can explain in a letter…," he said sadly, pointing down at where his leg used to be.


	22. Chapter 22 not ready to see you

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?-Chapter 22

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NOTE- sorry to be churning out chapters at an alarming rate, I hope it's not too much of an overload, just trying to get as much of the story covered before I go back to classes next week. Thanks for all the reviews, I love knowing what you guys think of the story!!

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**March 12****th****, 1945- RAF Bridgnorth, Shropsire, England**

Lily breathed in deeply as she gazed over Shropshire from miles in the air. She was used to seeing land from above but never before had she been operating the aircraft, albeit a small two-seater plane, before. She blinked twice, questioning whether it was real or not.

"Okay," Lieutenant Simpson, her instructor said from beside her, snapping her back to earth. "Let's pull back now…alright, good…_and_ release."

Lily pulled on the levers. This wasn't as hard as she'd thought it would be. Suddenly the plane lurched forward. Maybe not, then. "What did I do?!"

"It's okay," Simpson reassured her, staying inextricably calm and collected through it all. "You just pulled back a bit too far. Just be a bit more gentle and try not to yank on it so much."

"Okay, okay," she breathed, collecting her thoughts.

"Don't worry, Stone," Simpson assured her. "You're doing very well, not everyone gets it at once."

"I feel I'm learning more every time," Lily smiled, positive in herself.

"Good," Simpson looked at her watch. "Okay, that's on the hour. We'd better get this back to the base for the next training slot."

Through Simpson's guidance, Lily guided the plane back down, her heart jumping a little as the wheels made a bumpy contact with the ground. After parking, she jumped out, feeling invigorated and full of life. _The Air Effect_, she liked to call it. As she stood up to remove her flying overalls, Pilot Officer Bernie Lewisham (naturally it was a mixed company airbase) walked up to her, hanging his jacket up on the peg beside hers. He, already an established pilot, had befriended her on the training ground, given her flying advice from time to time when they'd run into each oter.

"Impressive flying," he noted, straightening his ruffled collar. "Just need to hang back a bit on the…."

"I know," Lily chuckled. "I'm working on it, but it's hard not to go in full guns blazing, you know?"

"I felt that same at the start," he smiled fondly. "But I always say it's best to treat the plane like a lady…gentle."

"I'll bear that in mind," she burst out laughing.

"Lily!" Simpson called out, coming up behind them. "That's given me quite the thirst. Let's go get a drink, okay?"

"Heading to the lunch hall?" Lewisham asked, interested.

"Yes," Simpson smiled. "Bit of a post-shift thirst quencher, you could call it."

"Well I was just going there with some of the lads, perhaps we'll see you there?" he asked, looking at Lily.

"Perhaps," she half-smiled. "We'll be there in a while. I want to pop by the post boxes first and see if I have any mail."

"Right-o," he said, walking away, casting a little smile back over his shoulder as he left.

Lily and Lieutenant Simpson began the walk towards the post boxes.

"I think he likes you," Simpson giggled, full of that Friday feeling as she jokingly punched her friend on the arm.

"Irrelevant," Lily said simply, wrapping her scarf tighter around her neck against the cold February wind.

Simpson raised her eyes, surprised. "Why? You have a fella back home? You never said…."

Lily didn't say anything, just shrugged mischievously as she took out the key to her mailbox, opening it. Smiling, she pulled out a care package from her mother.

"Lucky," Simpson mused, looking at it enviously. "You got a big one this month!"

Lily opened top of it as they continued their walk to the lunch hall (which doubled as a social drinking hall at the weekends), seeing inside it the usual batch of cookies, letter from home, local newspaper and…something else. Lily tugged at it, pulling out a letter. She furrowed her brow as she studied the writing. Her heart fell a little as she realised it wasn't from Bill, it wasn't in his handwriting. Still, it piqued her interest and she flipped it over to read the return address. Her heart began to pound as she saw it was addressed from a military hospital in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

"What's that?" Simpson asked, peering over her shoulder.

Lily quickly pushed it back into the packet, wanting desperately to know what it said (or not, as the case may well have been), but not wanting to open up that saga people she didn't know that well. "Just a letter from an Aunt."

"That's nice," Simpson rolled her eyes as they entered the drinking hall. "Only my mother writes to me, and even then only occasionally! Let's sit here."

She let Simpson sit her down at a table in the corner, her mind tugging away at her about the letter.

Simpson stood up. "I'll go and get us a few drinks!"

Watching her leave, Lily quickly reached into her parcel and pulled out the letter. She had her hands on the opening of the envelope with a view to tearing it apart when…

"Got your mail then?" Lewisham said, coming up behind her, pint in hand.

"What?" She looked up distractedly, shoving the letter away when she noticed it was him. "Oh, hi Bernie."

"Mind if I sit?" he smiled, sitting down anyway before she could respond.

"Yes of course, go ahead," she mumbled, trying to be polite.

"Package from home?" he noted, pointing to her parcel. "I couldn't get by without my mother's home baking once a month, let me tell you."

"Yes…," she said, trying to fill the gap.

"Every month she sends me cookies, cakes, buns…," he said, rhyming them off.

She couldn't take the small talk, her legs forcing her to stand up as he mouth spoke involuntarily. "I'm sorry, Bernie. I haven't had a cigarette all day and I am absolutely choking for one. Could you absent me for just a moment?"

Not waiting for a response, she grabbed her parcel and rushed out of the crowded hall. Sitting down on a large rock outside, she took out the letter. Apprehensively, she opened the letter, pulling it out and skimming it, trying to take it all in:

_Dear Lily,_

_I hope this letter finds you well, safe in your home country and out of the conflict. Well, if what Bill tells me about you is anything to go by, I'm sure you'll be back on an airbase somewhere, trying to knock out Jerry somehow. Since I didn't know which airbase in particular, I've sent this letter to your mother in Aldbourne in the hope that it reaches you, wherever you are._

_I thought I'd take the chance to update you on our situation, as Bill is unable to at the moment. Part of me thinks I shouldn't be the one telling you this, but Bill and myself have found ourselves wounded, and unfortunately out of this war. I don't want to alarm you, we'll both survive, just unable to fight the enemy any longer. I won't explain any more to you, Bill will do it himself in due time I'm sure._

This brings me to the reason I am writing you. It's Bill. We're both demoralised since the accident, but he's taking it harder than I am. I'm sure a visit or at least a letter from you (I understand how hard it is to get leave in the army) would lift his spirits. I thought I should write you to give you the address of where we are. It's not that he's ignoring you, as I'm sure you may have considered, but I think he feels ashamed to talk you about what has happened to him. I just thought I should do something for him since he saved my life. He's a hero.

_Regards,_

_SSGt. Joe Toye_

Lily's eyes bore into the paper. Bill was wounded? Alive, thankfully, but injured nonetheless. She could feel panic seeping through her as she read the words again. Why was he ashamed to talk to her? Why would he think she would care about anything other than whether or not he was safe?

She had to get to him.

…………………………….

**April 2****nd****, 1945**

Lily stood before the Atlantic City military hospital, tired but happy to be there. It hadn't been easy. Her Commanding Officers at the ATA hadn't been happy about her request for leave so soon into her training, but when she'd threatened to resign (yes, she hadn't been able to believe nor did she think she truly meant the words as they came out of her mouth), realising they needed all of the ATA pilots they could get, and that training was a costly procedure, they'd unhappily given her two weeks leave. It had taken her almost 7 of those days to get to this hospital, so she knew she had to make it count. Knowing from Joe's letter that Bill wasn't doing too well emotionally, she'd arranged a visit with Joe himself.

The receptionist led her up to the ward, but Lily stopped her just outside the door.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" she asked, turning to Lily and raising an eyebrow at her.

"Could you ask...could Staff Sergeant Toye come out here please?" She asked hesitantly.

"Out _here_? In the hallway?" The nurse echoed, surprised.

Lily nodded.

The nurse opened her mouth to protest but, relenting, simply sighed and went inside. Three minutes later, she wheeled Joe Toye out in a wheelchair. She smiled as she saw him, he smiled back to her. She was so happy to see a friendly face after such a long journey, it hadn't even struck her yet that he was in a wheel chair, nor that he was missing a leg. When she finally did notice, she put a hand over her mouth in a gasp. "Joe. Joe I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it," he waved a hand dismissively. "I've gotten used to it…or maybe I just tell myself that."

She bent down to his level. "What…what happened?"

"Bastogne…," he began, then stopped. "Well, Bill can fill in the details for you."

"Is he…," she pointed towards the ward. "…in there?"

Joe nodded.

"And is he…," she continued, trying to choose her words. "Missing a leg, too?"

He nodded again. "Go and see him, but just…be gentle. He's a bit touchy."

"Understandable," she nodded sympathetically. "Thanks for letting me know, Joe."

Again, he shook his head dismissively, as though he hadn't done anything important.

She began to walk towards the ward door, stopping suddenly to face Joe. She straightened the brim on her hat. "Do I look alright?"

"Beautiful," he reassured her, waving his hands at her to usher her inside.

Walking into the ward, she recognised his immediately at the very end of the room, in a bed further away from the rest at a window. He was staring out of the window in his wheelchair, so she could only see the back of his head, but it was enough for her to know it was him. Slowly she walked up behind him, unsure of whether she wanted to call out his name, or just watch him. She didn't know what to expect.

"…Bill," she whispered, trying to sound confident when inside she was shaking.

Slowly, he turned around in his chair, looking at her. At first he just looked right through her, as though he didn't even recognise her. After a few seconds, however, she could see it all coming back to him, and his eyes raised in surprise.

"Lily?" he asked, simply.

"Oh, Bill!" emotion overcame her, and she rushed to his side, throwing her arms around her. He limply patted her on the back. She continued. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too," he said, smiling at her. She studied his eyes, happy when she could see in them that he really had missed her. "How have you been?"

"I've been not bad," she said, not sure where to start. She didn't want to talk about her right now. "What happened?"

"Got shelled in Bastogne," he told her, looking down.

"Belgium?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

He nodded. "Took Joe's leg and my leg."

"Yeah, he said," she mused quietly.

"Is that how you got here?" he asked. "Did Joe tell you?"

"He told me you didn't want to talk to me right now, but I'm glad he got in contact with me. He thought it would cheer you up if I came to see you," she tried to explain it in a way that didn't make Joe look bad.

"Oh," he looked down, clearly a little annoyed.

"So you didn't want to see me, eh?" she asked, trying to joke.

He didn't say anything.

"Say, did you know that I'm flying now?" she told him excitedly, changing the subject, sensing his discomfort. "Well, learning…and it'll just be cargo and aircraft delivery, but it's still flying I suppose."

"That's great, kid," he smiled at her.

A silence fell over them.

"So, I have a few more days here before I have to go back," she said, trying to fill it. "Is there any chance we could have dinner tonight?"

"I don't think so," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, putting on a smile.

"Lily, I…I really appreciate you coming here, and God knows I've missed you," he breathed, sighing as he looked into her eyes, full of longing. "But I'm not ready to see you right now. I can't cope with seeing anyone right now."

"But, Bill," she said desperately, feeling her eyes welling up. "I just care that you're alright! I don't care that you've lost a leg! It doesn't matter to me!"

"Yeah but I care…," he said sadly, looking away. "It matters to me. It was my leg, Lily…"

"I know," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it sympathetically. "I want to help you cope…but would it be easier for you if I weren't around?"

Lip trembling, he nodded. "I'm not comfortable with you seeing me like this…not yet."

She stood up, trying to compose herself. "Then I'll go…"

She began to walk back towards the door, stopping to face him for one final second. "Bill?"

"Yeah," he whispered in response.

"When you are ready…will you still come to Aldbourne, throw me over your shoulder and take me to Philly?" she flashed a smile at him, trying to keep it together.

His face, to her delight, broke into a grin. "You know I will, kid."

……………………………………

**April 9****th****, 1945**

"Alright, you've missed two weeks of training, so we're going to have to work extra long to get you caught up in time," Simpson said, as the girls adjusted their seatbelts on the runway. "Prepared?"

"Of course," Lily mumbled. "Just tell me what I need to do."

"Let's get into the air first," Simpson said, sensing her friend's apprehension. "Where did you go anyway?"

"Nowhere…," Lily said, almost on cue, vacantly.


	23. Chapter 23 EPILOGUE Part 1

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- ch. 23

……………………………..

**May 18****th****, 1945- ****RAF Bridgnorth, Shropsire, England**

Furrowing her brow as she put some elbow grease into cleaning out the cockpit of her and Simpson's designated plane, Lily sighed heavily, the fatigue she'd felt constantly these past few days weighing down on her. She'd been logging a lot of flight hours, anything to keep her mind occupied. She was fed up, fed up with it all. As the war neared it's inevitable close (Hitler was dead, the Allies were reportedly closing in, surely it would be over soon!), Lily had been waiting for Bill to come for her, with no results. Instead she filled her days perfecting her flying techniques and knowledge, and working as a Simpson's right-hand (wo)man on various deliveries, waiting for the day she'd be able to be the pilot on her own missions. Throwing the rag down onto the chair, she climbed out of the plane and stood on her feet, leaning against the frame of the aircraft. She closed her eyes and let out a yawn. Suddenly they sprang open again, hearing the noise of pounding footsteps running towards her. It was Pilot Officer Bernie Lewisham, his face red and gasping for breath.

"Lily! Lily!" He stopped, panting in front of her, bending down to catch his breath.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked, confused.

"They sent me to…," he wheezed. "…sent me to…bloody hell I have cramp."

"I'm not surprised," she mused, almost amused.

He stood upright again, grabbing her hand. "They sent me to get you. Come on!"

Before she could utter another word, they were off. She strained her muscles to keep up with the speed he was tearing across the base at. Eventually, they arrived at the mess hall, where he ushered her inside. She opened her eyes in surprise. She could have sworn every member of the base personnel was cramped inside the hall. What's more, no one was talking. Deadly silence. Weaving her through the people, he stopped at a table where she Lieutenant Simpson and some of her other base friends.

"Simps!" she hissed, sitting next to Simpson. "What's going on?"

"Sssssssh!" someone hissed from behind. Lily turned round to flash an apologetic look to whoever it was.

For the first time since arriving, she could hear the grainy radio sounding out from somewhere in the hall. She recognised the voice. It was Winston Churchill.

"Turn it up!" Someone shouted from the back.

The broadcast came out louder.

"Yesterday morning at 2.41 a.m. at General Eisenhower's Headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command and of Grand Admiral Donitz, the designated Head of the German State, signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force, and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command…," Churchill's voice boomed out. "…hostilities will end at one minute after midnight tonight, Tuesday the 8th of May. Today is Victory in Europe Day. Long live the cause of freedom. God save the King."

If he'd said anything longer you wouldn't have been able to hear it, as the hall erupted in a mass of noise and celebration. Lily, herself, found that she couldn't move for a moment, she hadn't really taken it all in. It didn't seem real until Simpson herded Lily onto her feet, throwing her arms around her in a fierce, celebratory hug.

"It's over, Lily!" Simpson whispered in her ear.

Suddenly it sunk, and Lily let out a whoop so loud Simpson jumped back and covered her ears, laughing.

"Can you believe it?" Lewisham said, appearing behind and throwing his arms around Lily. "Finally!"

"Happy Victory in Europe day!"

…

That was the general theme of the day: Happy Victory in Europe Day! In true British style, celebrations involved copious amounts of alcohol inside and outside of the hall (it had turned out the be a pleasant, sunny day). A few of the more musically-inclined personnel had sounded up their instruments, provoking lots of singing and dancing. It was a heady atmosphere. In his speech, Churchill had said that they may all take a moment for rejoice, and this was just what they did. Lily sat with Simpson, Lewisham and a few of their other friends from the base, chatting as the beer flowed.

"It's strange," one girl from the secretarial department piped up. "I'm 18 and this has gone on for so many years. I can't remember life before the war!"

"Well, at least now you'll get to find out," Lily said, patting the girl on the back.

"Hear, hear!" Lewisham cheered, holding up his glass for someone to chink it.

Lily did just that.

"It's been a long war, indeed," Simpson said, looking around at the group and letting out a laugh. "Look how tired we all look!"

"Good point," Lewisham slurred. "Now this godforsaken war is over…I'm going to sleep!"

"Oh, I'm going home!" someone else piped up.

"Not to spoil the party," Lily laughed, knowing she was going to. "Yes, the war is over. But I doubt we'll be going anywhere anytime soon."

"To Lily, everyone!" Lewisham held his glass high into the air again, sarcastically announcing. "The life and soul of the party!"

"Haha very funny," she said dryly, rolling her eyes.

"I think we'd all rather be at home with our families," the 18-year-old girl said, almost sadly.

"Well, I can think of worse company to be in," Simpson said, her eyes watering slightly as she looked around at everyone affectionately.

"Oh no, she's going to cry," Lily laughed, throwing a supportive arm around her friend.

"I haven't been home in years," another voice piped up, a strange look appearing over his face, as though it was the first time he'd considered it. "I wonder who'll still be there."

Silence spread over the group as everyone began to think about their dead loved ones, many either siblings or uncles killed in action in the European Theatre or loved ones bombed to death in the various city blitzes.

Lewisham cleared his throat, raising up his glass again. "To those who can't be here today."

"_Happy VE Day, Bill," _Lily thought to herself.

………………………

**August 2****nd****, 1945**

"Stone!" Simpson called from below the aircraft. "Stone!"

Lily was oblivious, the roar of various planes nearby drowning out the noise below. It wasn't until Simpson banged loudly on the frame that Lily snapped back to earth. She peered down from the cockpit. "What?!"

"Come down here," Simpson called up to her.

Lily dismounted, hopping down next to her friend. "What?"

"How is manoeuvre revision going?" Simpson's eyes twinkled, she knew Lily hated on-land revision, much preferring to be in the air.

"Boring," Lily said, clicking her tongue.

"Look at you Lily, you'd think you actually missed the war! Well, I was given an assignment today," Simpson leaned back against the aircraft frame. "I was given a delivery assignment today and I need to pick a co-pilot. Interested?"

"Which luxurious destination this time?" Lily asked sarcastically, leaning back alongside her. "Birmingham? Southampton? Glasgow?"

"…France," Simpson smiled mischievously, knowing that would shut her sarcastic friend up.

Lily's eyes opened wide. "France? Are you serious?"

"I'm not a lieutenant who lies," Simpson laughed, acting offended.

"Oh…," Lily said excitedly, jumping up and down the spot. "I'm _so_ glad this happened _after_ the war!"

"Why?"

"No reason," she smiled.

"Alright," Simpson looked doubtfully at her, then brightening up. "So do you feel ready to cross the channel?"

"Of course!" she squealed. "What's the delivery?"

"Aircraft," Simpson explained. "A group of us will be taking a group of planes out to France and transporting some back. Come on, let's go fill out the paperwork."

Lily followed her eagerly. "So will I actually get to fly over the channel?"

Simpson stifled a laugh. "God, no."

"Hey!" she cried, offended. "You said I was a really good flier and a quick learner!"

"And you are, my dear," Simpson said, flashing Lily a sympathetic smile. "But I didn't live through the war just to go down in a plane after it."

"Hey!" Lily laughed, digging her in the ribs playfully as they walked. Really she was just glad to be going along. "Where in France, by the way?"

"Reims,"

"Oh," Lily said, her stomach flipping.

"What?" Simpson asked, confused.

"Nothing," she waved her hand dismissively. "It's just close to Mourmelon, that's all."

………………………….

**August 6****th****, 1945- Reims, France**

Lily sat quietly on her own at the airbase in Reims, sitting away from all of the other co-pilots as they all waited for the pilots to come back with news of the return leg of their assignment, reflecting on the beautiful sights of crossing the water. It was something she'd never tire of seeing. She lightly tapped her feet off the ground, in time to song she was humming to herself. Her hum tailed off however when she saw a livid Simpson marching towards her, closely followed by all of the other equally livid-looking pilots. She signalled to Simpson where she was sitting, and the girl walked over.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"You'll never believe this," Simpson fumed, her face actually turning red.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I mean it's outrageous," Simpson continued her rant. "They _should_ have made us aware of the details!"

"_What?!_" she demanded, worried.

"These planes here have been in storage since last year! They're in no condition to fly back and haven't even been checked over to see if they're even fit for flying!" She choked out, angry.

"So what does this mean?" she asked, confused.

"It means that we're stuck," Simpson replied, simply. "Stuck here in Reims until these planes are deemed fit for release!"

"…and when will that be?" she asked, her mind racing.

"At least a week!" Simpson slumped down on the seat next to Lily, annoyed.

Lily sat back, letting out a deep breath. Stuck in Reims for a week at least, so close to Mourmelon- le-Petit. Was this fate?

………………………

**August 7****th****, 1945- Mourmelon-le-Petit**

Lily had felt chills up her spine from the moment she'd stepped off the train at Mourmelon-le-Petit. It had been so long since she'd been there yet when she'd set foot off the train, it was as though she'd never left. So crystal clear were the memories in her head. She tried to shake the chills from her spine, reminding herself that it was okay for her to be here, that the Nazi threat was gone. Now, under the cover of the evening darkness, she walked that familiar road through the forest to Christian's home. She was beginning to worry that she'd made a terrible mistake. She didn't even know if he was home, or alive even. If there was no one there, she didn't know how she would spend the night. She'd been going on blind hope.

_Knock, knock._

Her heart soared as she heard cautious footsteps approaching the door. Whoever it was had the right to be cautious, it was nearing midnight. The door opened suddenly and Christian appeared, blinking at her through the sleep he'd clearly been roused from. Recognising her, his eyes sprang open in surprise as he lurched forward, pulling her into a bear hug.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised yet clearly happy.

She was so happy to see him, and gazed happily into his face. His hair was a little longer, but his handsome, comforting face was still the same. "It's the longest story in the world."

"Then perhaps you might enlighten me over a _chocolat chaud_," he smiled at her charmingly, ushering her inside.

Ten minutes later she was seated around his familiar kitchen table, drinking hot chocolate and trying to suppress her fatigue once more. They hadn't spoken whilst he'd prepared the drink, just simply enjoying each other's company.

He set his own cup down on the table and sat across from her. "I never thought I'd see you when there wasn't a war on."

"Tell me about it," she laughed, taking a sip and enjoying the warmth it spread through her. "When did you get back to Mourmelon?"

"About a month after the war ended," he told her. "I couldn't get back fast enough."

"Perpignan didn't agree with you?" she asked, smiling affectionately.

"Not really," he shook his head at her.

"I won't ask why," she winked at him.

"So what brought you back to Mourmelon? Was I so irresistible?" he joked.

"I'd have come sooner if I'd been able to," she joked, playing along. "No, actually I'm here for work."

"Work?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "Not some undercover espionage you're getting me involved in is it?"

"No," she laughed. "I'm actually a pilot-in-training, believe it or not."

He whistled, impressed. "Seriously'?"

"I promise," she put a hand over her heart.

"I'm impressed."

"Why thank you," she laughed, yawning again. "I was making a delivery in Reims and we've been delayed so I thought should come and…."

She tailed off, a yawn forcing it way through her body.

He cocked his head to one side. "You're very tired."

"Was that a question or a statement?" she asked, yawning again.

"Both," he said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "Come on, let's get you to bed and we can talk in the morning."

"Where shall I sleep?" she asked, her eyelids drooping.

"In my bed," he said, leading her to his bedroom door. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Okay," She said, turning back to face him. "Goodnight, Christian."

He grabbed her in a bear hug again. "I'm so glad to see you again."

………………………

**August 8****th****, 1945**

Lily awoke, groggily feeling someone sitting down on the edge of the bed. She looked up to see Christian staring back at her.

"Morning," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Morning," he replied. "Sleep well?"

"Better than ever,"

"Well, I should think so," he laughed. "It's gone 10 a.m.!"

"Oh my," she sat up in bed, embarrassed.

Laughing, he patted her hand. "Get dressed, I want to show you something."

……

As Christian led her through the forest paths, she smiled as the sun beat down on her.

"You know," she speculated. "I'm glad I got to see this place in the summer. It's much prettier than when everything's freezing and covered with snow."

"And prettier when there's not the occasional Nazi bastard walking around?" he added, smiling faintly.

"Exactly," she clicked her fingers. Suddenly her expression changed as she began to recognize the road they were walking down. She pulled on his arm. "Christian, no…."

"It's okay, Lily," he reassured her, leading her on. "I promise, it's alright."

"I don't want to," she whispered, seeing the white walls of the brothel up ahead.

"We're not going inside," he said putting an arm around her shoulder. "Not inside, I promise."

He led her past the house, a little further into the forest until they appeared at a clearing. Lily walked forward slowly, her eyes adjusting to what lay in front of her. 6 white stone tombstones lay embedded into the earth, bright yellow flowers to the side of each of them. They bore the names of Lulu LaBelle, Barbara Desmarais, Madeleine Roux, Odette Pelletier, Mathilde Boucher and Sylvie Fournier. It was a beautiful display, with a bench sitting just to the side of it bearing a brass plaque which read (in french) "Beautiful daughters of France, victims of the Nazi Regime". Reading it, tears began to stream down Lily's face as all of the memories of those past events played out again in her head.

Christian gave her a tissue and pulled her into a hug. "It's alright."

"It's a beautiful gesture," she said, wiping at her eyes as she burrowed her head into Christian's shoulder. "But I don't believe that the townspeople arranged this."

"No," he shook his head. "The Resistance organised it just after the war ended. They felt that Lulu deserved a proper memorial after she'd done so much for them, and her girls were the most important to her.

She turned back to him. "…and Aurélie?"

Christian didn't say anything, just motioned for her to follow him. He led her further into the forest, until he stopped behind a large tree, motioning down. She saw a small, unmarked tombstone.

"Why isn't it marked?" Lily asked, feeling numb as she looked at the grave.

"Because she collaborated with the Nazis, she was deemed a traitor to her nation…unworthy of a marked grave," he explained, his eyes filling with fury.

Lily swallowed hard, looking resolutely at the small tombstone. "I think that's fair."

As they walked back, Lily blew a kiss and said a prayer at each of the 6 tombstones, before Christian led her away. In a way, she felt better knowing that both that all the girls were in a peaceful resting place and that they were finally given some sort of respect despite the profession that they had had.

……………..

Thirty minutes later they sat at a café in the town centre, drinking coffee. Lily hadn't said anything since seeing the tombstones.

"I thought I should show you," he said quietly, staring into his cup. "I wanted you to know they'd had a proper burial."

"I'm glad you showed me," she said. "It's a sort of closure. I think I was meant to get stuck in Reims, meant to come back to Mourmelon."

"I think so," he said, smiling at her from across the table. "But whatever the reason, fate or otherwise, I'm glad you've come back."

"I wish I could stay longer," she said, looking at the wall clock behind his head.

His face fell. "You have to leave today? I thought you were here for a week?"

"Yes," she nodded regretfully. "I should get back though. I'm worried that if I stay here any longer then I'll want to stay forever."

"I wouldn't have a problem with that," he said seriously.

"I'll bet you wouldn't," she laughed. "Unfortunately, I have a job and responsibilities back home."

"But, still," he pleaded from across the table. "Stay one more night, please! I'll make you dinner, and I'll bet you haven't eaten as well on those army rations than you ate here in France!"

She nodded, having to admit it. "That _is_ true. Okay, one more night. But just one!"

…………..

That night, after a meal fit for a king, they sat in front of the roaring fireplace in Christian's house, the French night air rather chilly outside despite it being August. They each sipped glasses of wine as they stared into the flames.

"What will you do now, Lily?" Christian asked suddenly. "Now that the war is over. Will you stay in the forces?"

Lily considered this, looking into her glass. "Probably not."

"Then what will you do?" he asked, interested.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "The truth is, war broke out when I was 16 and from that moment all I ever wanted to do was become a pilot and serve my country."

"And you achieved your wish," he pointed out.

"Yes…," she said, doubtfully.

"It's not everything you thought it would be," he asked.

Sighing, she shook her head. "It's flying boxes and aircraft to destinations. It's…not challenging enough."

"Then," he asked again. "…what will you do?"

"I don't know," she replied, almost nervously. "I've never known the working world without war, and it's been the focus of my whole life since it started. I never considered everything else."

"You'll find something," he reassured her. "You're still young, no matter how much war mentally ages you."

"What about you?" she turned the tables. "What will you do? Can you cope with being just a postman without having to double for the French Resistance?"

"I've been thinking about that," he said truthfully. "I think it might be time to start afresh."

"Really?" she asked curiously. "Leave Mourmelon?"

"Perhaps," he said, leaning forward. "What's England like?"

She laughed.

"No, seriously," he insisted. "Do you think I'd like it there?"

"Honestly, I think you would," she smiled.

"Then I might consider it," he looked back at the fire. "Lily…."

"Yes, Christian?"

He was silent for a few moments. "I don't see a ring on your finger."

"Because there isn't one," she laughed uneasily.

"It didn't work out with Bill?"

"I…," she paused. "I don't know."

"Don't know?" he repeated.

"Bill…got injured in the Ardennes," she explained.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," he looked down as though expecting to hear of his fatality.

"He's alright," Lily insisted. "He lost a leg, but he's back in America. I went to visit him."

"You went to America?" he raised his eyes.

"Yes," she looked down. "He still has feelings for me…but he says that he needs time."

"Needs time?"

"Right now," she assured him, feeling a little doubtful in herself. "But he will be back for me. He assured me."

"Oh," Christian furrowed his brow.

"What?" Lily asked, looking him in the eye.

"Nothing," he took a sip of wine. "It's just…not like you, Lily."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't get the impression that you were the sort to wait and leave something like that in the hands of fate. I never thought you'd sit and wait for someone to decide if they were sure they wanted to be with you," He admitted.

"It's not like that," she said, almost defensively. "_I'm_ not like that."

"I didn't mean to offend you," he reassured her. "I just mean…life's too short to wait to see what other people may or may not decide. If I were you, as soon as I got home I'd get myself back over there to wherever he is and tell him that it was now or never, he either wants to be with you or he doesn't."

Lily took a sip of wine, thoughtfully.

………………………

**August 9****th****, 1945- Mourmeon-le-Petit Central Train Station**

"Are you sure you won't stay?" Christian asked, taking her hands.

"No," she said. "I would love to, but you know I can't."

"Okay," he sighed deeply. "Well be sure and write to me."

"You too," she handed him a piece of paper, pointing at it. "That's my airbase address and my home address. Write to either…or both! And please visit if you do come to England, even if it's just for a holiday."

Nodding, he gently put a hand on either side of her face, and slowly placed a soft kiss on her lips. Pulling away slowly, she looked at him with a slight surprise.

"I am not the kind to wait for things either," he smiled shyly at her.

Giving him a fond smile, she decided to let him have that one for free.

With a final hug goodbye, she boarded the train back to Reims. It was busy, being the afternoon service. She fought her way through the crowds to get to her seat. As she was about climb into her seat, someone pushed roughly past her knocking her bag out of her hands. Tutting, she bent down and picked up the contents that had fallen down, putting them on the table to arrange when she'd sat down. Taking her seat, she began to put them back into her bag. She stopped when she looked at one item: Oskar's paint set. The one he'd left for her with the invitation to return it to him in Dusseldorf. She kept it in her bag everywhere she went, not that she really knew why. She supposed it was just to keep the idea alive inside of her that he might still be alive somewhere and that one day she might just get to return it to him. As she was about to place it back in her bag, she noticed something etched into the back of it in tiny golden print. She'd never seen it before. Peering more closely at it, she saw that it was his address in Dusseldorf. She couldn't believe it. How could she not have seen that before. It played on her mind for the entire journey back to Reims. Was this perhaps fate again? Perhaps it was all meant to be, meant to be a chance for her to tie up all of her loose ends from her SOE assignment to Mourmelon.

When she arrived back in Reims and checked with Simpson that she still had several days until the planes would be ready for travel, she made arrangements to travel to Dusseldorf.


	24. Chapter 24 EPILOGUE Part 2

How Far Would You Go For Your Country?- Chapter 24

NOTE- So that's it over! Hope you've all enjoyed reading! Sorry if the ending was a bit rushed but I wanted to have it finished before I went back to class, or else I'd have had to make you all wait until May! Sorry if the ending is a bit cheesy!

………………..

**August 12****th****, 1945- Dusseldorf, Germany**

Lily walked through the Dusseldorf suburb of Golzheim, hoping to find Oskar's home. Admittedly, she'd been sceptical in the first place about travelling to Germany, but believe fate had been playing it's hand again when she'd learned that the city fell under the British Zone of Occupation, which made it easier for her to get there through her connections. When she'd arrived though in the city centre, she'd felt her heart plummet as she saw the effects the war had had on bombed-out Dusseldorf. However, as she travelled up to this particular suburb, she noted that it hadn't been as affected as the city centre, meaning the streets signs might still be in tact (hopefully, as they were the only things she had to guide her there. As she walked along the streets, she couldn't fail to notice the vacant, soulless faces of the residents as they walked around aimlessly. Although they were technically the enemy, she felt a sense of sympathy towards them. It couldn't have been easy to have been the defeated, paying the price that she was sure many of them wouldn't have gotten into given the choice. She finally arrived at what she was sure must be the address. Walking up to the door, she paused momentarily before banging the doorknocker. Was she foolish for even coming here? Surely, if he had survived the war, he would be in an allied concentration camp somewhere.

A woman opened the door, pale and with her hair tied messily back. She looked as though she hadn't slept for a while.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eyeing Lily warily.

"I'm here to see Oskar," she said, hoping her German sounded alright, she hadn't spoken it since Christmas.

"Who…who are you?" she asked, blinking.

"I'm…I'm a friend," Lily said feebly, feeling unsure in this lady's presence.

"Come in," the woman said, stepping aside to let Lily in.

She followed the woman into the sitting room. As they entered, a girl who must have been only a few years younger than Lily stood up when she saw her. Lily looked at her, knowing instantly that she was Oskar's sister. She looked just like him.

"Mama, who is this?" she asked, eyeing Lily.

"She is a friend of Oskar's," the woman, who must therefore have been Oskar's mother said, sighing wearily.

"You know my brother?" the girl asked, her face paling slightly.

"Yes, from France," Lily explained. "My name is Lily Stone."

The girl's face paled further when she heard this, but composed herself enough to offer her hand to Lily. "I am Julia, his sister."

"It's nice to meet you," Lily replied, shaking her hand.

Julia pointed to the older woman who had opened the door. "This is other mother, Augusta."

"It's very nice to meet you," she smiled at his mother, thinking that perhaps a handshake wasn't appropriate.

"You too, my dear," Augusta replied, sighing tiredly again.

An uneasy silence spread over the room as Lily became uneasy with Julia's intense stare.

"Julia," Augusta broke the silence. "Could you take Lily to see Oskar?"

"Yes, Mama," Julia replied, walking towards the door, casting a glance back at Lily. "You coming?"

"Yes," Lily, followed her.

"We'll need to take the bus," Julia told her, shutting the door behind them.

…..

Lily followed Julia through the twisty path of what seemed like a small forest after they dismounted the bus following an hour's journey, not wanting to question where they were going, but hoping that perhaps they were going to visit Oskar at a new job perhaps. Perhaps he'd taken work on a farm out of town.

"How do you know my brother, Ms Stone?" Julia asked, looking at Lily again with that intense stare.

"I…I met him in France," Lily explained, not wanting to give too much away.

"He said as much," Julia remarked, casting another glance her way.

"He spoke about me?" she asked, surprised.

Julia nodded. "He wrote that he'd met a beautiful, charming girl. We were so pleased for him."

"Really?" she asked, taken aback. "So, was he discharged from the army?"

"Not quite," Julia turned the corner and suddenly stopped, pointing down to a small headstone. "There he is."

_Oh no_, Lily's face drained of colour. She couldn't believe it. "No!"

"I'm afraid so," Julia nodded almost as though she was no longer phased by it, hardened to it, even.

"How…what…_when_?" she asked, not knowing what to say.

"February," Julia said, sitting Lily down on a log nearby and handing her a tissue.

"How did it happen?" Lily asked, between sobs. Death was never any easier to deal with.

Julia paused for a moment, looking at how upset Lily was. "…killed in action."

"Oh," she choked out between sobs.

When she'd managed to compose herself, Lily walked over to the tombstone, kneeling in front of it. Reaching into her satchel, she took out the paint set, removing a slender paintbrush from it and, scooping some dirt out, buried it in front of the grave.

"What's that?" Julia asked, peering over her shoulder, interested.

Standing up, Lily passed the paint set over to Julia, who looked surprised to see it. "How did you get this?"

"He gave it to me in France," she explained. "He told me that I should return it if I was ever in Dusseldorf…that's why I came."

Julia took it, clearly emotioned by the sight of her brother's favourite paint set. "You came all the way to Dusseldorf just to give my brother this?"

"Well your brother really helped me in France," she replied, looking down.

Julia stepped forward, looking intently into her eyes. "Helped you how?"

"Just…helped me," Lily looked away. "I can't say anything more."

"Okay," Julia passed the paint set back to Lily.

"No," Lily handed it back to her. "He'd want you to have it. Come on, we should go back and get a bus to Dusseldorf."

Julia, holding the paint set in her hand, watched Lily walk on. She could see her brother had meant something to this girl in some way, and it was for that reason that she would never tell her that she had lied. Oskar hadn't been killed in action, like she'd said. He had, in fact, been shot to death by firing squad. His crime? Aiding the allies and betrayal of the Reich, in particular giving information to a spy in Mourmelon.

…………………..

**August 17****th****, 1945- ****RAF Bridgnorth, Shropsire, England**

"Home Sweet Home," Simpson let out a sigh of relief as they touched down back on the airbase a few days later. "I felt as though we were going to be in France forever!"

"Mmmm," Lily said, not really listening.

"Are you listening to me?" Simpson asked, looking over at her.

"What?" she snapped back to earth. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"Apparently," Simpson mused as she turned off the engine. "You've been quiet since you got back from Germany? Are you okay?"

Suddenly Lily couldn't hold it back any longer. "No I'm not."

She dismounted the plane quickly without a further word.

"Why not?" Simpson asked worriedly, dismounting quickly and catching up to her.

Lily began to cry. Simpson, shocked, pulled her into a hug. "Ssssh, it's okay. Tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm not happy here," Lily sobbed. "I've been doing a lot of thinking whilst we were in France and…I can't be _here_. It's not what I want."

"Wait, I'm confused," Simpson shook her head. "Where _do_ you want to be?"

"I don't want to do this job anymore," Lily said, heading in the direction of the personnel offices. "I need to get to America."

………………………………………….

**September 12****th****, 1945**- **Aldbourne**

Lily dismounted the bus at Aldbourne, breathing in the home air and smiling. She always felt it when she got home. As she walked down that familiar road to her home, a million thoughts raced through her head, and most of them panicked ones. After handing in her official recognition of resignation into the ATA, they'd given her leave to go and handle her personal issues, stressing to her that she'd have to be back to complete her notice time.

She couldn't worry about that for now, however, as her head was full with trying to devise a way to get passage to America to find Bill. Christian was right, she had to tell him that it was now or never, she wasn't going to wait for him any longer.

As she walked up the steps to her door, a new thought entered her head. She hadn't been home in months nor had she written to her family- her mother was going to kill her when she realised her daughter who she hadn't seen in months was only home to pack a bag before running off again. She decided that perhaps the best thing was to try and sneak in and sneak out unnoticed. Skulking through the hallway, she tried her best to avoid the creakiest of floorboards. She passed the kitchen, where she heard the sounds of food being prepared and cheered herself mentally inside when she reached the stairs.

"Don't think we didn't hear you come in, Lily Stone!" Her mother's voice called out from the kitchen.

"Shit," she closed her eyes and sighed as she made her way to the kitchen. There she hugged her mother warmly, breathing in the familiar smell.

"Where have you been?" Mrs Stone asked, tutting at her daughter. "You haven't written in so long!"

"I'm sorry, I've been busy," Lily tried to explain.

"Well, it's been very inconvenient," Mrs Stone scolded, a smile playing about her lips.

"Inconvenient?" she echoed.

Her mother pointed towards the living room. "Why don't you go into the sitting room, dear. I think you'll find something waiting for you in there."

Blinking at her mother, Lily made her way into the sitting room. At first she didn't notice him, but suddenly the figure of someone with her back to her, staring out of the window, caught her attention. Giving it a further glance, she recognised that thick, dark hair. She put a hand to her mouth, gasping. That caught his attention, and he turned round to face her.

"Bill?" She asked simply as his handsome face beamed back at her.

"I told you I'd come for you," he smiled at her.

That was enough for her, she run to him, throwing herself into his arms.

"Of course," he continued, laughing. "I wasn't counting on having to wait here for a month until you decided to pay a visit!"

"I'm so sorry," she laughed. "But you know the funny thing is…I was coming here to pack a bag to come and see you again!"

"Really?" He pulled back, looking at her in the eye.

"Yes," She said, hugging tighter into him. "So you're really here for me?"

"My life hasn't been half as good since you left, kiddo," he said, breathing in the flowery smell of her hair. God, he'd missed it. It didn't take more than a few seconds before their lips met, making up for months of lost kissing.

She pulled back, looking down at him standing on both legs. She pointed, confused. "You have two…."

"Fake," he laughed, knocking on it. "Thought I'd give it a try."

"It looks good," she smiled.

"Don't it," he agreed, holding it out. "Plus it helps me keep my balance so that I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you to…."

She put a hand over his lips. "I can't."

His face fell. "You don't wanna come to Philly?"

She shook her head. "Oh no, I do. I do more than anything, but…I can't just leave the forces instantly. I may have to work up to another year before I can be discharged."

Almost without hesitating, Bill put a hand gentle on her cheek, stroking it. "Then we'll stay here in England til you can leave. Sound good?"

"Really?" She asked, smiling at him coyly. "You mean that?"

"I do," he said, kissing her softly, then smiling at her mischievously. "And when that's done, _then_ I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you home."

………………..

**June 15****th****, 1946**

Lily leaned over the railing, listening to the horn of the ship and watching the coastline of England gradually getting smaller. She took a deep breath, breathing in the sea air, feeling freer with every lungful she took. She was going to miss England and, to some extent, her time in the forces. But she'd gone far for her country, devoting 5 years of her life to the cause. Now it was time to do something for herself.

"Ready for a new start?" Bill asked, appearing from behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, shielding her from the sea breeze.

"Yes, Sir," she joked, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his lips.


End file.
